Jaded Miracle
by 67OtakuGirl24X3
Summary: WARNING: THIS STORY CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR TALE OF THE BRONZE TRIO. Kiseki Ueda, the son of Konata and Shiro from TotBT, is stuck moping over a breakup with his long time boyfriend. Now, however, he's met a nice Squib named Cyrus and is falling back in love... If only he'd accept that.
1. Chapter 1

"Blimey, Raye, I don't know what to do." 19 year old Kiseki Ueda sighed, running his pale fingers through his scraggly, dark brown hair. Something was bothering him big time, and he desperately needed to talk to anyone who would listen. Though he didn't have that many friends, he had a very large family; however, all of them were out, except for his eldest sister, Raye. She and her husband, Scorpius Malfoy, were both home at the Malfoy Manor.

Raye sat on the couch opposite Kiseki, setting down a tray of tea and gingerbread cookies on the coffee table between them. "I'd help, but you haven't told me what's wrong yet."

Kiseki looked at her through his fingers. "Oh. Right. Sorry." From his pocket he removed a copy of the _Daily Prophet. _He had it folded to the final section of the paper, which discussed things like marriages and births in the wizard world. Glaring to the side, he thrust it into his sister's hands. She took it politely, tucking a strand of her short, layered dark brown hair behind her ear. "Second paragraph, sentence 3," Kiseki muttered. Raye gave a small nod to her head, scanning the article. Her eyes widened. At first glance, it appeared to be just another wedding discussion, but when she read into it…

"Drew… Kiseki, is that, YOUR Drew?" she asked quietly.

Kiseki nodded grimly, rubbing his temples. After he came out that he was gay at the age of 13, he'd lost a number of the few friends he had, but his best friend, a black haired Hufflepuff named Drew, remained loyal to him. So loyal, in fact, that he decided to _date_ Kiseki. They decided to end their romance, though, 2 years ago. "It doesn't bother me so much that he didn't tell me about the wedding- he probably wanted to spare me the pain. What hurts is that he's married to a _woman_. I don't know why it feels so wrong, it just… does," Kiseki murmured.

Raye moved the _Daily Prophet _down to her lap to reveal the sympathetic expression on her face. She climbed over to sit beside Kiseki and hugged him to her, kissing his head. "I'm sorry, buddy… Heartbreak hurts, I know," she said softly.

Kiseki let out a shaky sigh, leaning into his sister. "I just want something to take my mind off him. A job, some form of big news, even a war… ANYTHING."

Raye chuckled quietly, stroking his hair. "I could give you a little mission, if you'd like." Kiseki said nothing, but shifted his eyes upwards. "Scorpius and I were going to go out today, since it's our anniversary-"

Kiseki's emerald green eyes widened. "Oh, my gosh, I totally forgot, I'm sorry…!"

Raye swatted at the air. "Don't worry about it. Anyway… We were going to take the girls with us, but I'm sure they'd love to spend a day with their Uncle Kiseki… If you want to, of course."

Kiseki's head snapped upright. "Yeah, of course I want to! Th-that'd be perfect."

Raye smiled at him, getting to her feet. "Excellent. I'll go fetch them now, they should just be getting up from their naps… Eat some of those cookies, Kiseki, you're too thin."

"Says the girl who would still be anorexic if she never got pregnant," Kiseki mumbled. Raye either didn't hear him or dismissed the comment as she left the room.

"Here we are, the Leaky Cauldron…" Kiseki huffed that afternoon. He'd only been in charge of the 3 year old Malfoy twins, Lucia and Lucina, for about 45 minutes, and they'd already worn him out. Raye was certainly right when she predicted they'd love to hang out with their uncle: they pounced on him like he was a new puppy and wouldn't stop hugging or climbing all over him. He recognized that it was all in good-heartedness, but they certainly were becoming obnoxious very quickly.

"Oh YAY! Dat seat, o'er dere, DAT'S da one weh want," Lucia declared. She slid her tiny hand away from Kiseki's and dashed toward a table in the corner of the dining area. "No, no, don't!" Kiseki called after her. He cried out when Lucina bolted after her sister. They both skidded to abrupt halts, Lucina falling into Lucia's back as they nearly collided with a waiter, a tray of empty glasses in his hand. Anticipating that the man would drop the glasses, Kiseki flinched, and immediately ran over to them. He gripped the twins' shoulders, and they stared up at him with innocence twinkling in their big blue eyes.

Kiseki turned to the waiter frantically. "I am SO sorry, th-they just slipped away really fast…"

The waiter shook his head, smiling kindly and switching the tray to his other hand. "It's quite alright, no harm done. Kids will be kids. Speaking of, are these little angels yours?"

From the look on Kiseki's face, the waiter might as well have asked his gender. "Oh, no, they're my nieces."

The waiter nodded, still smiling. "Well they're adorable. Now then, sit down, make yourselves comfortable! My name is Cyrus, and I'll be your server today. Could I start you off with drinks?"

"Apple juice!" the twins exclaimed, bouncing into the booth. Kiseki gently slid in next to them.

"A butterbeer, please," he requested.

The waiter named Cyrus nodded, his smile still unfaltering. "You got it! Would you like that butterbeer nonalcoholic?"

Kiseki looked at the twins, then partially glanced back at Cyrus. "Of course."

"Well, you never know. There are some real irresponsible blokes out there that'd get drunk even with little ones… Not that you came off as that type of person, but… Two apple juices and a nonalcoholic butterbeer, you say? Coming right up." And with that Cyrus scurried off, the glasses nearly falling off his tray. He returned no more than 5 minutes later carrying the drinks. This came off as odd to Kiseki: normally the workers at wizard pubs and restaurants would use magic to transport drinks and trays.

"Thank you mista!" the twins chimed, firmly gripping their glasses with both hands and immediately bringing them to their lips.

Cyrus's smile, which had still never left, deepened. "They really are adorable. Now, I'll take it you lot need some more time to decide on your orders?"

Kiseki looked at the twins. "Do you know what you want to eat?"

They both nodded sharply. "Mommy a' Daddy take u' here ALL da tiem," stated Lucia matter-of-factly. "Me wants mac 'n cheese!" she exclaimed.

"I wan' chicken nu'ets," Lucina indicated.

"I'll just have the soup of the day, please," Kiseki told Cyrus. Cyrus fumbled inside his waist apron for a pen and notepad, and quickly scribbled down their order.

"Will that be all?"

"Yes, please."

Cyrus saluted. "Alrighty! It should be done shortly." And off he ran, disappearing into the kitchen.

The twins had been drawing on their placemats, but quickly tired of that and decided to talk Kiseki's ear off about things only they truly understood. It was all Kiseki could do to respond with short replies like "Really?" and "Oh, I see!" He couldn't help but smile, though: the twins, especially Lucina, inherited a streak of that stubborn Malfoy pride, so they certainly did not like everyone. As pathetic as he was sure it sounded, it felt reassuring that he'd been given their seal of approval.

The girls simultaneously cut off their chattering. Before he could question it, Kiseki saw- well, heard- why: the sound of clattering dishes came from the kitchen, followed immediately by a man's voice yelling. Kiseki flinched as he made out the words "WORTHLESS MUDBLOOD!" The twins' eyes watered and they scooted closer to their uncle.

After a few terribly silent seconds, Cyrus emerged from the kitchen. He was no longer grinning; on the contrary, he looked on the verge of tears. You couldn't really blame him, though: his front was soaked with what appeared to be a very hot liquid. He speed-walked over to Kiseki's table. "Chicken nuggets and mac 'n cheese for the little cutie pies…" Cyrus said in a distant voice, sliding the plates of food to the twins. He turned to Kiseki and gave a small bow, looking truly ashamed of himself. "I apologize, but your soup will be a few more minutes…" It was then that Kiseki noticed it wasn't just a liquid coating Cyrus's shirt and apron, but some pieces of carrots, chicken, and celery as well.

He turned on his heel, but Kiseki called after him, "Hold up a moment, er, please…" Cyrus immediately stood still, except to turn away. Kiseki slapped his pants pockets, quickly removing his wand. "_Tergeo,_" he said. The spilled soup vanished instantly, and Kiseki fumbled to put his wand away.

Cyrus stared at him blankly. "I… Thank you very much, my good sir… I must be getting back to the kitchen now, be back shortly." He spun around and hurried back to the kitchen, Kiseki unintentionally gazing after him.

"Were these two well behaved for you?" Raye asked an hour later as the twins refused to be pried off Kiseki's legs. He smiled gently.

"As far as three year olds go, I suppose." He gingerly stroked the tops of their heads. "They're really sweet kids though, Raye. You and Scorpius are lucky."

Raye grinned affectionately, finally pulling Lucia and Lucina away from their uncle. They tried squirming away for a moment, but soon pouted in defeat and snuggled against their mother instead. "Thanks, Kiseki. Hey, you know, Raito and Presilla were going to head out to Diagon Alley tomorrow, to get Jasper ice cream or something. Maybe you could go with them."

Kiseki nodded, a miniscule smile forming on his mouth. "Yeah, I'll see about that. I'll call Raito, figure out times… Thanks, Raye. It means a bunch."

Raye gave a small shake to her head, kissing her youngest brother on the head. "It's nothing. If there's ever ANYTHING you need, I'm right here. Love you."

"Love you too." Normally, this would've made Kiseki feel reassured and comforted, but in this case, the word "love" just reminded him of what he had all too recently got hung up on.


	2. Chapter 2

"Un'le Kis-ki!" called a squeaky voice. Kiseki had been sitting on a bench with his legs crossed, staring at the ground; he looked up and smiled. A tiny boy with very dark hair was waving him down with one hand, holding onto his even-darker-haired mother's neck with the other. Kiseki got to his feet and put out his arms to take the boy. The little boy's face lit up as Kiseki picked him up.

"How've you been, Jasper?" Kiseki's nephew- Jasper- gave him a thumbs-up.

Kiseki flinched slightly when he felt a hand griped his head, sort of ruffling his hair but more like shaking his head side to side. "Yo, baby brother. Been a while huh?" A man with messy dark brown hair and ocean blue eyes smiled down at Kiseki. His name was Raito Ueda, and he was Raye's twin brother. The two used to look exactly alike except for Raye's feminine features, longer hair, much thinner build, and lack of scars, but now you'd almost never guess they were twins.

Not too sure what to respond, Kiseki simply nodded. Raito's pale, gray eyed wife, Presilla, smiled at him. Kiseki, who used to be terrified of her, returned the grin in a sheepish manner.

"So, we're going to swing by Florean Fortescue's. You've been told, I assume?" stated Raito. Kiseki nodded again, closing one eye and smiling slightly as Jasper twirled one of his tiny fingers in Kiseki's hair. Taking Presilla's hand, Raito ushered them to the ice cream parlor.

Kiseki certainly felt his spirits lift as the day went on. Raito had always given off a strong, happy vibe that was quite contagious; plus it was impossible not to smile when Jasper was sitting on your lap getting more chocolate ice cream on his face than in his mouth. Not only that, but Florean Fortescue's was questionably the tastiest ice cream in the entire country. The only times he'd been around Presilla recently were at birthday parties or family reunions, so she just frightened him from afar, but now that they were nearly alone, Kiseki realized that she'd certainly warmed up a lot.

"Well, we're going to be heading home now… You wanna come back with us?" Raito offered after they'd finished talking and eating their ice cream. Kiseki shook his head.

"No, I think I'll walk around here for a bit… Thank you, though." Raito nodded, prying Jasper off of Kiseki's legs. Using one arm, he hugged his little brother. "You can always ask me for any favors, alright? I'm here for you, buddy."

Kiseki gave a miniscule nod, lightly hugging Raito back. To his slight surprise, he felt Presilla's delicate hand on his shoulder. "And if you can't get Raito, don't be afraid to talk to me. You're basically my brother too." Kiseki felt a warm feeling spiral up in his chest. He'd never thought of his siblings' spouses as even more siblings, but it was heartening.

"Yeah, I'll do that. See you around."

Raito and Presilla nodded, simultaneously kissing the side of Kiseki's head. "See you." Jasper stretched to kiss his uncle's nose, and he giggled; Jasper holding onto Raito's neck, Presilla hugging her husband's arm, they left.

Kiseki stared after them for a few moments, smiling softly. His mind was humming peacefully, until something caught his eye. Through his peripheral vision, he noticed someone carrying a stack of boxes, which staggered dangerously. Kiseki gasped as the person stumbled, and the topmost boxes dropped. "_Wingardium Leviosa!"_Kiseki called, whipping out his wand and pointing it at the fallen boxes just in time. Kiseki's eyes widened as he saw the shocked person who was carrying the boxes was none other than Cyrus, his waiter from yesterday.

"Oy, you're that bloke from yesterday! You had your nieces with you," Cyrus recalled out loud, stooping to retrieve the boxes that were floating in midair. Before he could pick them up, however, Kiseki gave his wand a flick so that they floated higher.

"Yeah, that's me… Here, I'll help you carry these."

Cyrus stared at him blankly, as if he was speaking a foreign language. "I… Well, thanks, mate," he breathed. Kiseki nodded, following after Cyrus. They walked down an alleyway in silence, where they came upon an even huger mountain of boxes beside a rickety doorway. Kiseki neatly placed his boxes at the foot of the pile, helping Cyrus with his afterwards.

"If you don't mind my asking… Why are you transporting these like a Muggle?" Kiseki inquired timidly.

Cyrus smiled at him sadly. "That's because I'm a Squib." Kiseki simply nodded, which caused Cyrus to stare at him blankly once more. "You're… not going to react?"

Kiseki shook his head with a small shrug. "My dad's mum was a Squib. I never met her, but I grew up being told wonderful things about her."

Cyrus grinned. "Wow, that's… great, really. By the way… Would you mind if I asked who the people you were with today were?"

Kiseki shook his head, hesitantly sitting against the brick wall; Cyrus took a clumsy seat on a box. "The man was my oldest brother, and the woman was his wife… The kid was their son, Jasper. They're 27, Jasper's 2…" Kiseki felt himself blush lightly. "I'm sorry, I'm starting to talk your ear off."

Cyrus leaned backward. "Hey, if you ask me, my ear's on too tight. It NEEDS to be talked off some." Kiseki smiled sheepishly. For the first time, he got a good look at Cyrus. His hair was cut unevenly, though the jaggedness was only noticeable from up close, and it was very wavy. If it was a crayon color, it would certainly be yellow-orange. His chin was coated in a peach-fuzz-like facial hair the same color, possibly a bit darker. He was rather tall- about 5'10- and despite being decently muscular, he was thin. The quality that stuck out the most, though, was his eyes: they were an icy, almost neon, shade of blue, and regardless of their cold color, warmth and friendliness shone in them.

"Well, er, what would you like to hear about? I don't often talk to people outside my family, so I'll share anything you want," Kiseki said quietly.

"That right there is a good topic: family. There's a lot of you, is there not?"

Kiseki nodded. "Oh, definitely. So, Jasper's parents are Raito and Presilla. Raito's twin sister is the mother of the twins I had yesterday. Her husband is Scorpius Malfoy- I'm sure you've heard of the Malfoys…"

Cyrus's smile faltered. "Yeah… Aren't they all obsessed with blood status and stuff?"

Kiseki shook his head. "They had been for generations, but Scorpius's dad stopped believing in blood status, though his wife was a pureblood… She was a Gryffindor, though, and- oh, wait, I'm sorry… You haven't been to Hogwarts…"

"No, but my parents told me every single detail about it, so I'm pretty well informed."

Kiseki blinked, taken aback a bit. "Oh, alright… Well, anyway… Long story short, his wife- my parents' best friend- was the first non-Slytherin in the Malfoy family, and my eldest sister- Raye, her name is- was the second. She was the first non-pureblood, too. They've accepted her, though.

"My third oldest sibling is named Austin: he's 24, and was a Hufflepuff, just like my mum. His wife, Radha, is a 21 year old Ravenclaw, which is the same house my dad was in… She's expecting their first child. My middle sister, Katherine, met Radha because they were in the same house and year. She currently lives in France with her boyfriend, James Potter. My baby sister is a Ravenclaw too- her name is Alexandra, and she's 15."

Cyrus nodded slowly, clearly hanging onto every one of Kiseki's words as if they were a life preserver and he was drowning. "Blimey, 5 siblings… I have 3 siblings, but I have a feeling you're MUCH closer to your family…" His demeanor darkened a bit, and he bit his lip slightly. He quickly looked back up at Kiseki, though. "So, what about you? Where do you fall in?"

Kiseki felt his heart flutter. He couldn't remember anyone ever asking him about himself. "Well, I uh… Besides Scorpius, I'm the only Slytherin in the family… My grandpa on my dad's side was one too, but he uh…" Kiseki lowered his voice. "My dad became an orphan when he was 13. But, er, I'm 19 and, as Raito used to put it, the family's puppy."

From Cyrus's face, it was evident he had a lot of questions, but he began with a comment. "19, eh? Wow, you look, hm, 17… I'M 18."

Kiseki's eyes widened a bit. "Really? Blimey, I would've thought you were at least 20."

Cyrus shrugged, smiling slightly. "I get that a lot. So… Why are- or were- you the family's puppy?"

Kiseki sighed. "You really are desperate for someone to talk to, aren't you?" His emerald green eyes widened, and regret exploded in his expression. "Oh, gosh, that sounded really rude…"

Cyrus gave a motion with his hand, swatting Kiseki's words away. "No problem, mate. I AM desperate… Except for my customers, who are normally rude as can be, I don't exactly talk to anyone."

Kiseki felt a pang of sympathy and mutuality. "In that case… Even though I'm better now, I used to have this terrible mental condition that made me very slow at learning; it was incredibly difficult for me to trust people; I threw tantrums all the time; my sense of right and wrong was dreadfully slurred… Like I said, though, I'm better now. Doctors are bloody miracle workers… But, er, I needed a lot more attention than my other siblings."

Cyrus was smiling gently at him. "Blimey, you're one of the most interesting people I've ever met. I- Oh, Merlin, I need to get back to the Leaky Cauldron!" Cyrus scrambled to his feet, his smile long gone. "Talk to you later?"

"I hope so…"

"Wait a moment: what's your name, mate?"

"Kiseki. I'm Kiseki."Cyrus nodded, a small trace of his smile returning, but within the next second, he was gone. Kiseki stared after him, his heart beating unevenly. "What a strange man…" Gulping, he slowly brought one hand up to his chest. He shook his head, mentally screaming at himself for coming to the following conclusion: "No… Kiseki, you idiot, it's MUCH too soon…" His voice was a choked whisper. "You can't fall in love yet…"


	3. Chapter 3

The next day, Kiseki decided he'd have lunch at the Leaky Cauldron. This time, though, he wasn't bringing any relatives: he'd be going alone, with hope that he'd see Cyrus. He swallowed down his special pills and scratched the head of his 8 year old cat, Koko, before exiting his apartment and locking the door behind him. With a deep breath, he Apparated all the way to Diagon Alley.

He walked into the pub, glancing around uneasily. He spotted Cyrus immediately: he was emerging from the kitchen, wearing his bright smile once more, and carrying a tray of drinks. "Here you are, drinks for the lovely couple!" he chimed, sliding some mugs to a middle aged man and woman. They thanked him, smiling, and took sips of their drinks.

"Ah, lunch break," Cyrus sighed, plopping down at an empty table beside the entrance. Gathering himself up, Kiseki approached him; his face immediately lit up. "Kiseki! Nice to see you! Grab a seat, why don't you?"

Hoping he wasn't blushing, Kiseki gave a small nod and slid into the booth across from the orange haired boy. "You said this was your lunch break? I don't want to interrupt your meal…"

Cyrus shook his head, his smile brightening. "I love company! I mean, it might be awkward for YOU, so you don't need to stay, but… One moment while I fetch my lunchbox."

"Oh, no, allow me." Kiseki slipped his wand out of his sock and called out, "_Accio Cyrus's lunchbox." _Within moments, the door to the kitchen opened, and the box containing Cyrus's lunch flew over the table. Cyrus nodded gratefully, flipping the box open. Kiseki felt his stomach churn as he saw Cyrus's lunch consisted of just half a sandwich, a bottle of water, and an apple.

"It's not much, no, but it feeds me. I can't complain," Cyrus told him, noticing his skeptical expression. "Should I be embarrassed that my mum still packs my lunch? Because I am, terribly so."

Kiseki shook his head. "I guess other people would laugh at you for it, but I don't mind at all." Cyrus smiled softly, taking a bite of his sandwich. It was uncomfortably silent for a few seconds, until Cyrus finished up his miniscule sandwich and made eye contact with Kiseki. "I know we've known each other for a VERY little amount of time, but…" Kiseki felt his heart lurch. Was this it? Were his fantasies coming true, and this lovely man was confessing to love at first sight? "…You're the first friend I've had in a long, LONG time."

Kiseki felt his hope drop- drop, but not shatter. "I… haven't made friends in a while either. Honestly, I bet excluding my family, I could count all the true friends I've had on one hand," he said quietly.

"I can't see why," said Cyrus, putting out his hand. Before Kiseki could say "Same to you," Cyrus declared, "Let's try and be friends for a long time now." Blushing slightly, Kiseki entwined his fingers with Cyrus's and gave his hand a small shake.

"Let's." Kiseki didn't think he could remember feeling warmer ever before in his life.

Kiseki made a habit of visiting Cyrus every single day at work. Their friendship grew stronger and stronger every visit before they knew each other almost as well as they knew themselves. One day, after knowing each other for a little more than a month, Cyrus wasn't at work.

"You, the lost-looking one. You're that boy who's always with my son, aren't you?" came a stern feminine voice. Realizing he was the one being addressed, Kiseki spun around to face her. She had curtains of neat black hair, and though her eyes were the same color as Cyrus's, there was a cold and cruel look about them. She was, in a word, frightening.

"O-oh, you're Cyrus's mother…? A pleasure to meet you," Kiseki said quickly.

"Go home," Cyrus's mom snapped.

"Pardon…?"

You could almost see lightning in her eyes. "You heard me. You don't have any reason to linger: Cyrus isn't working today."

Kiseki, who had Cyrus's schedule memorized, tilted his head innocently. "Oh? Is he ill?"

The woman looked hesitant to answer. "Yes. He is."

"May I… see him? Just to quickly wish him well?" Kiseki hoped his voice wasn't too desperate: he didn't particularly want others to know he depended on seeing Cyrus every weekday.

"Why would you want to do that? It won't do any good, and you could get his filthy germs," Cyrus's mother growled.

A stroke of bravery that Kiseki hadn't experienced in a long while built up inside him. "It wont physically do any good, no, but it makes a person feel happy when someone tells them they hope they'll get better. And I don't care if I catch his germs…" He gulped. "It'll be worth it," he added in a whisper.

The black haired woman stared Kiseki down, as if trying to break him, but soon let out an aggravated sigh. "Oh whatever, you little worm. Go up the stairs in the back of the kitchen, he's in the last door to the right." Kiseki gave a small bow to his head and bolted through the kitchen doors.

He flung his hand onto the knob of Cyrus's room, but abruptly brought up enough self control to halt before turning it. He slid his hand onto the door itself, and knocked a couple times. "Cyrus…? It's Kiseki…"

There was a moment of silence before Cyrus called, "Well come in, then, mate." His voice was morose, and you could tell he had a stuffy nose, yet there was a spark of joy in his tone. Kiseki twisted the knob and stepped into the room. His heart seemed to freeze a bit.

The room was terribly tiny- not much larger than a few closets mashed together. The only furniture was an ill-painted dresser and a very uncomfortable-looking bed. The walls were a bland gray color, and the paint was chipping horribly. If not for the cleanly quality of the blankets and the fact that Cyrus was the one resting there, Kiseki would have thought this was a prison cell at first glance. He regretted ever complaining about his apartment.

"Your mum really didn't want me in here, huh?" Kiseki commented, gingerly sitting at the foot of Cyrus's bed.

Cyrus sighed, coughing into his fist immediately afterward. "She really doesn't want people to see me… But all day, people have been complaining to her about the lack of service due to my absence, so I guess even she has a point that she just has to throw up her hands."

Kiseki gave a small nod. "Why doesn't she want you to have visitors?" he inquired.

"Look around you," Cyrus responded, motioning around the room with a pale hand. "This is the worst room in the house. She doesn't want people to think her living quarters are run down…" He lowered his voice to a whisper. "Plus, I think she's afraid people will report that I'm being mistreated and have her arrested or something crazy like that."

"But you ARE mistreated!" Kiseki chimed sadly, forgetting to keep his voice down. Cyrus shot him an abruptly alerted look, so he quickly added in a soft tone, "But I won't tell anyone if you don't want…" Cyrus nodded thankfully, followed shortly by a cough. He groped his bedside for a box of tissues, grabbed one, and blew his nose.

Kiseki furrowed his eyebrows, concern evident in his face. "You don't look good at all… You're all pale, and a bit clammy…" He leaned forward, brushing back Cyrus's bangs and pressing his hand against the sick man's forehead. His frown deepened. "Oh, Merlin, you're burning up… I bet you have a fever. Raye and my dad are both involved with healing, they have these fancy devices that'll tell your temperature, what's wrong with you, AND what medicine you need… I could go borrow one and be back in a flash."

Cyrus shook his head feebly, gently sliding Kiseki's hand off of his forehead. "Blimey, no, you don't have to do that… I'd be working right now if my parents didn't want me getting customers sick, all I need is rest…"

"Come now, you're in NO condition to be working… You probably shouldn't even stand up." Kiseki got to his feet. "You DO need rest, so catch up on some now. I'll go borrow that doohickey and come back here as soon as I can." With that, Kiseki pulled out his wand and Apparated away, leaving Cyrus speechless.

It was no less than 40 minutes later that Kiseki returned. In one hand was something resembling an enlarged thermometer, and in the other was a bowl-like container. Cyrus, who had been unable to fall asleep so settled on lying back and staring at the ceiling, sat up so quickly his vision went fuzzy. "I'm really sorry I took so long… Raye was working and Scorpius was out somewhere with the twins, and my dad was working too so I had to wait until his lunch break… While I waited my mum made some soup for you, it should make you feel better…"

Cyrus smiled weakly. "That was bloody nice of her, considering she doesn't even know me…"

"Well, you're a friend of mine, and you're ill. That's enough for her," Kiseki murmured with a small shrug. He sat on the bedside and waved the thing resembling a thermometer in front of Cyrus's face. He stared at it for a few moments, until words magically appeared on its surface. His eyes scanned it over, and he nodded. "Okay… So you've got a fever of 101. 's a really bad case of the cold... If it goes uncured, you'll have to stay bedded for at least 5 days." From the look on Cyrus's face, you'd think he'd just been sentenced to death. Kiseki, however, remained calm. "Dad told me this thing not only SAYS what medicine you need, but it sends some right to you. It should appear any moment now…" And, sure enough, a bottle materialized on the dresser.

Kiseki leaned over to grab it before turning to face Cyrus, smiling sheepishly. "Well, here you are. You don't have to eat the soup now, of course, but if you want to my mum packed a spoon… Are you alright with eating in bed?"

Cyrus chuckled softly. "Lord, you sound like a new mother fretting because her baby has a fever. I'm fine with eating in bed, and come to think of it, I'm starving. I'd love to have some of that right now. I guess I'll take the medicine first, though." Kiseki nodded, pressing the spoon and container of soup into Cyrus's hands. He then handed him the bottle of medicine, which contained a pinkish liquid. Cyrus poured the fluid into its cap, pinched his nose with one hand, and swallowed it down. He shuddered, sticking out his tongue. "Bleck, liquid medicine is so nasty… But, I guess I can't complain if it'll make me feel better."

The brown haired boy quickly screwed the cap back onto the bottle, placed it back on the dresser, and helped Cyrus open the soup. With a "Thank you" Cyrus dipped the spoon into the broth, scooped up some chicken and carrots, blew it off gently, and inserted it into his mouth. He immediately moaned with pleasure. "You say your mum made this?"

"From scratch, yes."

"From scratch?" When Cyrus gradually opened his aqua-colored eyes, they seemed to be sparkling. "Blimey… That woman must be a soup GODDESS." He didn't hesitate to consume another few spoonfuls; as a result, he spilled a few drops down his front and nearly choked. When he caught his breath, however, he told Kiseki, "Tell your mum thank you times a million."

"I will. I'm glad you like it," Kiseki replied, smiling lightly. Cyrus faced him, the gratitude shining in his face making him appear 5 years younger.

"And, thank YOU times a million. You truly didn't need to do anything for me, mate… You're a life saver."Kiseki felt his heart leap a little inside his chest. '_You love him… You feel so good about his happiness because you already love him…' _a voice in Kiseki's head whispered. '_I don't. I CAN'T. If I love him, I'll lose him. I don't ever want to lose him,' _Kiseki countered silently.

Cyrus's blissful grin faltered. "All right, mate?"

Kiseki blinked hard. "Huh? Oh, yes, fine," he said quickly. With a sweep of his wand, he cleaned up any mess Cyrus had made. He lightly touched the orange-haired man's shoulder. "You get some rest. I'll be back tomorrow."

"Ah, lovely…" Cyrus slid back and pulled the blanket over himself. He rolled over onto his side and looked up at Kiseki. "Thanks again… If you ever get sick and I don't help you out, I give you full permission to whack me upside the head."

"I could never do that," Kiseki assured him. '_Because you're in love with him,' _insisted his conscience; he came very close to saying "That's a lie!" out loud.

Just as promised, Kiseki visited Cyrus the next day. Though not well enough to return to work, he was able to move around. "That medicine must have been Heaven Juice or something… I should be returning to work by tomorrow!" Cyrus exclaimed, beaming.

Kiseki tilted his head slightly and smiled at him. "That's great. You have no idea how glad I am to help…" Cyrus ruffled Kiseki's hair cheerfully. Both of them were at a loss for words, though the silence was soon broken by a sneeze from Kiseki. Cyrus laughed in spite of himself.

"I'm sorry, now I've gone and gotten you sick…" He gently gripped Kiseki's head. " 'Spose we'll have to take care of each other for a bit now, huh?"

Kiseki prayed he wasn't blushing, but had a good feeling he was. "Mhm… I guess so."

Part of him wished neither of them would ever get better.


	4. Chapter 4

After a little more than a week, both Kiseki and Cyrus were in shipshape once more. Due to his days of absence, Cyrus's parents refused to allow him any break times. Still, Kiseki just couldn't bring himself not to see him, so he would come and help Cyrus with delivering the trays to tables. This, however, strongly angered Cyrus's mother, since Kiseki began earning tips despite the fact that he was not an employee. So, Kiseki was soon banned from The Leaky Cauldron until Cyrus worked up to getting his break times back.

This, of course, gravely upset Kiseki. Imagine being one of those people that hates going to school, but you love one class or period. Then, out of the blue, you're pulled from the class. You know you should still be going to school, you know how valuable it is, yet you feel like: Why bother? There's nothing to look forward to. Kiseki was feeling the exact same way: He knew that he had to keep on living, but Cyrus was giving him a big piece of life.

One day, Kiseki decided he'd try something he hadn't done for a long while: go for a broomstick ride. Since he wasn't too fond of Quidditch and much preferred travelling by Apparation, Floo Powder, Portkey, or Muggle transportation, Kiseki himself did not own a broom, so he went around to his relatives that had one. He even went to his Uncle Satoshi, who used to be a Beater for a national Quidditch team, but he was using his to teach the sport to his son at the moment. Unfortunately, ALL of his family members' broomsticks seemed to be in use. His last hope was his eldest brother.

When he arrived at Raito and Presilla's home, he thought that they must be out, for when he called inside nobody answered. However, with his peripheral vision he noticed some movement in the backyard and realized that's where the little family was. So, he proceeded through the house and out the back door.

His heart began to sink when he saw that Raito was using his broom. It only BEGAN to sink, though, because a laughing Presilla was sitting against the house, Jasper on her lap, and the little boy would squeal and laugh wildly whenever his father would do a trick.

Hesitantly, Kiseki stepped out farther and waved at his brother. A permanent grin plastered on his slightly scarred face, Raito swept down and hopped off of his broom. "Hey baby brother! What are you doing here?"

Kiseki shifted slightly uncomfortably. "I, well… I wanted to go for a broom ride, but seeing as I don't own one… I see you're using yours, though, so I'll just-"

"Ah, no, I was just wrapping up actually. You're welcome to have it." He tossed the broom at his youngest brother so quickly that he almost didn't catch it.

"I… Well, thanks, Raito!" he breathed. He allowed Raito to ruffle his hair, gave him a hug, waved at Presilla and Jasper, swung his leg over the broomstick, and kicked off into the sky.

It was chilly up in the air, despite it being no less than 50 degrees Fahrenheit on the ground. Birds would occasionally fly by Kiseki as the air whipped through his already messy hair and lightly stung his cheeks, but he hardly noticed. In fact, he nearly forgot he was on a broom. His mind was on one thing and one thing only: his urge to see Cyrus.

Why did he depend so strongly on spending time with him? It wasn't like he was the only person he liked to hang out with… _You're in love with him,_ a voice in his head insisted. _I am not! If I loved him, I wouldn't EVER want to see him!_Kiseki countered silently. He sighed, closing his eyes. "Is it normal to argue with yourself, or is this part of my mental problems?" he wondered aloud in a whisper through his slightly chapped lips.

It was when he reopened his eyes that Kiseki realized he was starting to descend. His heart gave a small lurch and his mind was abruptly wiped of all his conflicted thoughts. He was approaching a Muggle town… What if he was seen? He attempted to command the broom upwards, but the combination of his increasing panic and lack of flying experience resulted in it going down more rapidly. "Stop, stop! Go up, go UP!" he hissed through clench teeth, turning pale. He succeeded in turning the broom toward an alleyway consisting of only a pile of broken furniture, a dumpster, and some stray cats… But in the next moment his body burst with pain, red exploded throughout his vision, and everything cut to black.

"Shiro… We got another _special_ case. This one's real bad," a stout, spectacled man was saying.

"Oh, Merlin… What is it, Jones?" The man that replied was in his mid 40's, decently tall and muscular, had dark brown hair, gorgeous blue eyes, and facial hair that resembled 5 o'clock shadow more than a beard.

"Broom accident… Thank the LORD a witch happened to stroll by and see it. If a Muggle had seen the boy lying there in a heap, and caught sight of his broom flying off…" The stout man- Jones- clicked his tongue. You see, both of these men are wizards employed at a Muggle hospital. Whenever a magical person cannot find or access St. Mungo's, there's always a secret entrance in Muggle hospitals. There, they can be treated by some part-time Healers that normally work as regular doctors.

"Well, time is ticking. Come on, we should go," Shiro proclaimed in a quiet tone. The other man nodded and swept after him down the hallway that led to the "special" wing of the hospital that only a select few had access to.

"Oy, there's the poor chap now," Jones told Shiro, motioning at a stretcher. Kiseki lay unconscious, dry blood coating his face, his skin pale as a sheet. His nose was clearly broken, and if not for his very shallow breathing you'd think he was dead. Frowning sympathetically, Shiro jogged to catch up with the nurse pushing the stretcher. When he saw Kiseki's face, his eyes widened to the point that they might roll out of their sockets and he nearly stopped breathing.

"Kiseki…?"

"You know him, sir?" asked the nurse, not slowing down.

"Know him? _He's my son!"_Shiro unintentionally shouted. He swung a door open for the nurse, then spun around to face Jones. "Get my wife on the phone… You know my house number." He turned quickly back to the room Kiseki had just been taking into, speedily entering. "Kiseki… Oh, my little guy, why you…" he whispered in a slightly choked voice.

Hours passed. Every one of his siblings, except for Alexandra since she had to remain at school, came to visit Kiseki the moment they received word that Shiro was done Healing him. Even his aunts and uncles came to see how he was. Though his nose had been mended and color was gradually returning to his skin, he still had not awoken.

Some 12 hours after Kiseki had been knocked out, he finally opened his eyes. The dim lighting of the hospital room was far too bright for him, so he immediately closed them again with a small groan. His current lack of vision made his hearing noticeably keener as he heard a semi-familiar voice speak beside him. "This is my fault… All my damn fault… I'm the one who lent him that broom… I totally forgot I had it magicked so that if it was fallen off of, it would return to ME… I should have made it so it went back to the rider…"

"Calm down, now… It isn't your fault in any way. Don't even try to blame yourself, it was just a freak accident out of everyone's control," came the soothing, somewhat deep voice of Shiro.

"R…Raito…? Dad…?" Kiseki whispered weakly, not entirely sure his voice would work at all. Raito and Shiro's heads snapped around to look at the frail boy, as if they were dogs who had just been whistled for. Raito scrambled to his feet.

"Kiseki! Buddy! Oh, thank the lord…" he breathed. From the shakiness of his voice and redness of his eyes, it was apparent he'd been crying.

"Wha… What happened?" croaked Kiseki. Shiro slid over and sat on his bedside. Gingerly, he ran his fingers across his youngest son's forehead, brushing stray strands of hair off to the side.

"You crashed into an alleyway while going for a broom ride… You smashed your face pretty bad, and broke some bones- a few were in your spine, you poor thing. Luckily, all that medication you've taken since you were a baby has made obtaining HEAD injuries nearly impossible. A witch saw you and brought you here- good thing, too, since Muggle doctors know NOTHING of fixing broken bones…" Shiro leaned forward a bit and pressed his lips against the side of Kiseki's head. "You're going to be just fine. You'll have to rest for a couple days, but otherwise, you're in good shape," he assured him softly.

It was silent among the three men until a rapid knocking sounded from the door, just as Kiseki was precariously bringing himself to sit upright. "Come in," Shiro called, expecting it to be a nurse or one of his family members. However, this was not the case: swinging the door open was a terrified-looking young man with wavy, yellow-orange hair and frantic icy blue eyes. The sight of him made Kiseki's heart skip a few beats. When it started up again, though, it seemed to burst with a warm feeling that shimmered throughout his body. He didn't recognize the sensation- or didn't realize he did, at least.

Relief washed over Cyrus's expression, and his shoulders fell. "Kiseki… Oh, Kiseki, mate…" He poised to sprint over to him, but halted mid-run. "How well is he, Doctor?" he questioned, turning to Shiro.

"Well enough for a hug. …Cyrus," Shiro replied with a soft smile. He chuckled at the confusion on Cyrus's face and moved to the chair beside the bed. "I'm Kiseki's father. He's told me so much about you that I feel like I know you just from looking at you."

Cyrus appeared politely flustered. "I see… I-it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Ueda." His gaze shot over to Kiseki; in one bound, he was kneeling directly at the bedside with his arms wrapped around the smaller but older boy. He pressed his face against Kiseki's shoulder and hugged him tighter, though not so much that it could cause him pain. "I was so worried… I-I was just heading up to bed when I glanced at my father's newspaper… I didn't read the headline or anything, I just saw the picture o-of you, on the stretcher, and saw 'fatal injuries' so I asked my f-father what hospital you were at an-and I came as quickly a-as I could…"

Kiseki drew in his breath at the way Cyrus was speaking. He thought: _Please, PLEASE don't let him be…_But the thing he dreaded was true: When Cyrus looked up at Kiseki's face, his eyes were puffy and tears were streaming down his cheeks. Nevertheless, he offered a smile. "I'm just… SO glad you're okay. If you'd died… Oh, blimey, I can't even think of that. You're the first thing I've cared about since…" Cyrus didn't seem to know how to finish the sentence. Instead, he sniffled and wiped his eyes on his arm.

"Cyrus… Come on, now, please don't cry…" Kiseki murmured after locating his voice. Hesitantly, he ran a pale hand over Cyrus's head. At this, Cyrus brought himself to his feet and gingerly sat on his friend's bedside.

"Now I feel a bit like a jerk… I mean, YOU'RE the one in a hospital bed, I should be being strong…"

Kiseki gave a tiny shake to his head and touched Cyrus's arm. "Just 'cause you're crying doesn't mean you're being weak… It, um, feels kind of… reassuring, to have someone cry over me, actually." Cyrus flashed a teary smile; at the same time, Raito got to his feet and pulled on Shiro's sleeve so he'd do the same.

"Well, I guess we should be going. You know how to get us if you need us… See you buddy. See you uh, Cyrus," Raito declared.

"It was nice meeting you," Cyrus called more to himself than Raito and Shiro. The two nodded, smiled, and exited the room. Once the door was closed, Cyrus turned fully to Kiseki, sat up straighter and hugged Kiseki again. He gingerly stroked his unruly dark hair with one hand, as if confirming that he was truly there. This time, Kiseki draped his arms around Cyrus in return, hoping the feel of the other boy's gentle fingers running through his hair wasn't making him blush too badly. Cyrus let out a sad chuckle.

"I guess I can't let you out of my sight, or you'll be in harm's way."

Kiseki lightly closed his emerald colored eyes, his hands beginning to grip the back of Cyrus's shirt. "Maybe I should get injured more often then," he whispered. His eyes shot open, and he could feel his face burn red- he didn't mean to say that out loud. However, Cyrus let out a laugh, followed by a single thin tear. He hugged Kiseki a level tighter.

"How about you NOT do that. But…" His grin softened. "If there's a way that we could hang out more often, that doesn't involve either of us getting hurt, I'm all for it."

_Oh, I know something all right,_the voice in Kiseki's head told him. He gripped Cyrus's shirt tighter as he thought, _But he said he doesn't want me to get hurt._


	5. Chapter 5

Kiseki's recovery went, as predicted, extraordinarily well. He was still a little sore and forbidden to leave his bed without an escort, but after a mere 4 days he was released from the hospital. After visiting with some worried relatives, he headed off to the Leaky Cauldron. His family still didn't want him out of their sights, though, so Austin accompanied him and waited outside while he met with Cyrus. Kiseki was relieved to see he'd come on the day that Cyrus had earned his breaks back.

"So guess what I did?" Cyrus asked the moment Kiseki approached him during lunch.

"What did you did?" Kiseki didn't even realize he was being funny, but Cyrus threw his head slightly and let out an enthusiastic laugh.

"I had a really big breakfast so I could spend my entire lunch break with you! I wish we could spend longer together, but it's better than nothing, right?"

Hoping he wasn't blushing, Kiseki responded, "Yeah, well, a few minutes is uh… Better than, nothing… …I basically just repeated what you said, huh?"

Cyrus laughed again, though not as animatedly as before. He flashed a warm smile. "You're not still so injured that I can't hug you, are you?"

"No, hugs are permitted. Just not of the death or bear nature." Kiseki grinned weakly at his feeble attempt at humor; even so, Cyrus chuckled yet again before lightly wrapping his arms around his thin friend. Kiseki returned the action as quickly as he could, though it was brief so that they didn't draw attention to themselves.

"We seriously do need to spend more time together, though…" Cyrus plopped into a booth and motioned for Kiseki to do the same. "You've done so much for me, and with the whole broomstick accident ordeal… I just feel like I should do something for you." Kiseki desperately wanted to tell him he need not do anything, but just couldn't bring his voice to work. '_That's because you WANT him to do something for you. You want to feel loved by him,'_the voice in his head claimed matter-of-factly. Kiseki almost groaned audibly.

After a moment of thinking, Cyrus snapped his fingers. "I know! This Saturday… How about we get some dinner together? My treat."

"Oh, no, you don't need to pay… We could split the bill," Kiseki chimed in immediately. Cyrus leaned across the table to punch Kiseki's arm so lightly his fist barely made contact. "You helped me carry boxes when you didn't even know me. You visited me when I was sick, even though you knew you could get sick too. You just got out of the HOSPITAL. I'd say coughing up the money for a dinner bill should ALMOST make us even."

"True, but with all the friendship and attention you've given me added onto that, I'd say we ARE even," Kiseki assured him softly. Looking truly touched, Cyrus flinched and stood up hesitantly as his mother screeched his name from the kitchen.

"Well then… We can talk more tomorrow, but as it is, let's make it a plan that you meet me outside of here on Saturday at, hm, 6:30, and-"

"CYRUS! GET IN HERE!" a man's voice yelled.

"Now the old man's calling too, sheesh… I'll see you, mate." And after receiving a nod from Kiseki, Cyrus disappeared into the kitchen.

It took Kiseki a moment or two to get himself to stand up. He drifted out the door in a sort of daze, almost unaware of Austin saying "All right, baby brother?"

Kiseki nodded vaguely. "I've got plans for Saturday night now…"

Austin smiled brightly like a parent whose 2 year old had just presented him with a doodle of their family. "Do you? Well, I'd be glad to escort you, but with Radha being due soon, I've got to work double shifts starting tomorrow…"

"What! Oh, blimey, you didn't need to spend your last break day being my watchdog…" Kiseki felt guilt like he'd almost never experienced spiraling up inside of him. Still, Austin waved his hand dismissively, his smile unfaltering.

"It's completely fine. Come on now, let's get you home." He grabbed his younger brother's hand in order to Disapparate; the affectionate vibe emanating from him was so real, it almost made Kiseki's eyes water- in a positive way, though.

Kiseki spent most of his Saturday contemplating his upcoming dinner. His biggest dilemma, it seemed, was what to wear. All Cyrus had told him was that they'd be going to a Muggle restaurant, but he hadn't specified any more than that. _Should I go fancy, or casual?_Kiseki kept asking himself. For nearly 10 minutes, he paced across his apartment, muttering to himself as Koko's eyes followed him lazily, the cat herself stretched out on her owner's bed. Eventually, Kiseki decided on a white polo shirt he had worn under a tuxedo for Austin's wedding. For pants, he wore a pair of black skinny jeans.

When 6:30 started approaching, Kiseki took a quick shower. Afterwards, he attempted to comb his hair, but to no avail- it just refused to stay tidy. Sighing in frustration, he caught a glimpse at the clock; he appeared outside the Leaky Cauldron at 6:25 exactly. Cyrus came outside shortly after, a mild look of surprise forming on his face when he saw that Kiseki was there already. Cyrus's ensemble consisted of a gray and blue flannel shirt that had obviously been ironed recently, denim jeans that appeared to be new, and the slightly worn out black dress shoes he wore for work every day.

"Ready to go, mate? We're going to have to catch a Muggle bus," Cyrus exclaimed. Kiseki nodded; not daring enough to hold Cyrus's hand, he settled with following exceptionally close behind him. Cyrus didn't seem to mind, though; on the contrary, he didn't even seem to notice the lack of distance between them.

Once on the bus, Kiseki looked around uncomfortably. Cyrus nudged his arm, motioning toward an open seat in the back. Kiseki darted into it, Cyrus casually sliding in beside him. Neither of them spoke for the entire bus ride- the combination of riding a bus for the first time, feeling nervous about what was coming up, and being so close to Cyrus had robbed Kiseki of his voice, and Cyrus had deemed it best not to provoke him into speaking. It felt like a lifetime later that Cyrus stood up and said, "Ah, this should be our stop."

The next few minutes came as a blur to Kiseki. His heart was pounding so hard that he could feel it in his ears, and he couldn't see 2 inches in front of him. As a result, he stumbled over nothing multiple times and didn't even look to see what restaurant he was walking into. He didn't snap back to reality until he heard Cyrus's voice state, "Table for two, please." Kiseki looked up just in time to see the waitress eye them suspiciously before grabbing a couple menus and telling the two companions to follow her.

Looking around, Kiseki was relieved to find Cyrus hadn't chosen a terribly fancy place to eat. From the looks of it, it was just a simple family restaurant. Kiseki felt his heart give an odd shudder, though, when he noticed that all the other tables for two were occupied by couples.

"Can I start you gentlemen started with some drinks?" the waitress inquired with obviously faked enthusiasm.

"I'll just have a glass of water," Kiseki told her. He had to clear his throat afterwards, since that was the first time he'd spoken for at least 10 minutes. Cyrus seemed to smile faintly as he informed the waitress that he'd like an iced tea.

"I'm uh… I'm sorry I've been so awkward…" Kiseki murmured after the waitress disappeared.

"No need to apologize," Cyrus responded, cheeriness beginning to flicker in his blue eyes. Smiling sheepishly, Kiseki opened up his menu. "Anything look good?" asked Cyrus as he scanned his own menu. Kiseki chewed lightly on the inside of his cheek.

"Hm… Pasta sounds pretty yummy." His face flushed. "Oh, I did NOT just say 'yummy…' What am I, 5?"

Cyrus laughed. "What, 'yummy' falls out of the dictionary once someone gets older?" Kiseki offered a tiny chuckle, blushing deeper and holding his menu up a little higher.

Soon enough, the waitress returned with their drinks. "Ready to order?" An edge of bitterness was now detectable in her tone. "My friend here will have the spaghetti in tomato sauce- medium size, right?" Kiseki nodded, trying to avoid catching the waitress's eye. "And I think I'll have the cheeseburger," Cyrus continued. "Well done, please." The waitress made a final scribble on her notepad.

"Okay, that should be out in a bit." With that, she hurried off to the next table. Unintentionally, Kiseki allowed his eyes to follow her. He noticed that as she took another couple's order, she occasionally threw glares at two women who were holding hands across their table. Gulping absent-mindedly, Kiseki realized why her happy attitude toward him and Cyrus was so artificial.

"What are you looking- oh." Cyrus bit his lip, beginning to watch the waitress as well. The two women were so absorbed in each other's eyes that they didn't seem to notice the dirty looks they'd been receiving. However, no more than 2 minutes later, the waitress returned with a large, official-looking man. Kiseki strained his ears to hear what was going on.

"Public displays of affection are prohibited in this restaurant. I'm going to have to ask you ladies to leave," the man growled. One of the women went pale in the face, while the other turned to face the table beside them, at which a man and his girlfriend were openly snogging over their dishes.

"I assume they're going to be kicked out too, then?" The woman narrowed her eyes.

"Ma'am, would you like to walk out, or be CARRIED out?" the manager hissed. With a cry of agitation, the woman grabbed the hand of her girlfriend, who was almost in tears, and stormed out while mumbling something about human rights.

The manager and waitress returned to the kitchen without a second glance at the couple that was snogging.

"I can relate to those women…" Kiseki whispered without intending to. His emerald eyes widened; his hand would have flown to his mouth, had he not have felt abruptly paralyzed.

"Yeah…? How so?" There was nothing bitter, confused, or disgusted in Cyrus's voice: just mild curiosity.

_He's your best friend, he's going to have to found out sooner or later… It's now or never,_Kiseki's conscience reasoned. Kiseki heaved a deep sigh, his heartbeat gaining in speed. "Do you want the long story or the short story?"

"I have a feeling our meal will take a while to make. Long, please."

Kiseki gave a minuscule nod. "Well… You already know about my… mental issues, and that they were a lot worse when I was younger. When I enrolled in Hogwarts, I had a TERRIBLE time making friends. If not for Austin, I wouldn't have made ANY. He introduced me to my best friend ever- a Hufflepuff named Drew… That just wasn't good enough for me, though. I wanted to fit in with the other Slytherins… I wanted to stop being harassed, teased, and bullied nearly every day… This group of really vile, but really popular Slytherin boys told me one day that if I did something incredibly daring… Something huge… They'd accept me. So..."

Kiseki sighed shakily here. "I'll shorten this part, f-for my own sake. Over Christmas break… I-I found this young Muggle woman named Hannah. When I was little, she was my babysitter… a-and she abused me. Physically, verbally… She threatened to do even worse things to me if I told anyone, so I kept my mouth shut. That certainly helped build up my mental problems, even after my parents fired her. Anyway, I…" He lowered his voice. "At the young age of 11, I-I murdered her."

Cyrus's eyes widened, and he uttered a gasp. Still, though, he didn't see what this had to do with the two women who had been chased out of the restaurant. Kiseki went on: "Things happened, and, it was decided that instead of being sent to A-Azkaban, I'd be expelled from Hogwarts until the beginning of my third year. The whole event made me go berserk. Nobody, not even my family, could touch me without sending me into a tantrum. That is… nobody except Drew. For some reason, he knew exactly how to comfort me. He took time out of his busy school schedule to visit every single day… By the time I was 13, I'd realized that I was… in love, with Drew." His voice was now so quiet, it was almost inaudible. "And after we started dating, I knew that I was completely gay."

It was silent for a few seconds, until Cyrus managed to whisper, "Blimey, mate…" Kiseki's eyes began to water.

"It's… nasty, and wrong, I know…"

Immediately, Cyrus shook his head. "No! There's nothing wrong with it at all! At least you _HAVE_a sexuality…" He sighed softly. "Since my parents keep me rather hidden from society, I've never been in a relationship, so I'm not straight, bisexual, OR gay. I'll just… fall in love with whoever I fall in love you, you know?"

_You hear that? He could fall for you!_Screamed the voice in Kiseki's head. "So you, won't think differently of me?"

"Of course not. You're still you, and you're still my best friend." Hoping he wasn't blushing, Kiseki attempted to return Cyrus's warm grin and nodded.

Shortly afterward, the waitress returned with their food. This time, though, she wasn't even attempting to look optimistic. "You boys saw what happened to those lesbians. If you-"

Cyrus looked convincingly disgusted and offended. "What? You think I'm going to make romantic gestures toward my own step-brother?" The waitress went pink in the face, muttered something incomprehensible, and scurried off. Cyrus turned to Kiseki, taking the bun off of his burger to add ketchup to it. "Sorry. This food just looks delicious- I don't want those people getting the wrong idea and kicking us out," he murmured. Feeling like his organs had been replaced with helium balloons, Kiseki nodded and dug into his pasta.

It was silent for a bit as the two young men ate, until Kiseki brought up how he had been terrified of spaghetti noodles when he was little. Cyrus laughed, and they soon branched off into other conversations. By the time their empty plates were cleared away, the butterflies had vanished from Kiseki's stomach.

"Are you sure you're alright to go home by yourself?" Cyrus asked once they'd walked from a Muggle bus stop all the way to Diagon Alley. Kiseki nodded, his mouth starting to ache from all the grinning he'd done.

"I'll Apparate to my apartment building. I'll be fine, trust me," he assured him.

"Well, if you say so. Good night, mate. See you soon?"

"As soon as possible, yes." Cyrus clapped Kiseki on the shoulder, flashed him a warm smile, and swept into the Leaky Cauldron. It took nearly a minute for Kiseki to get his head clear enough to Apparate; once at his apartment, however, he went into a daze. So many thoughts spun around in his head that he couldn't determine one from another, nor could he scale the stairs without tripping over every 3 steps. He unlocked the door to his apartment room, closed it behind him, locked it once more, and threw himself on his bed. Koko hopped up beside him, purring and curling up against her master. Kiseki half-consciously scratched her behind her ears.

"Merlin, Koko, I just had an AMAZING date," he breathed. Suddenly, though, the smile slid off his face. It wasn't a date… He was just spending quality time with his best friend… …Right?


	6. Chapter 6

It wasn't long before Cyrus made plans with Kiseki again. In fact, it was only 3 days later that Cyrus requested they go somewhere together- where, he said he didn't care- the upcoming Saturday. Naturally, Kiseki accepted the invitation. What he found odd, though, was how relieved Cyrus was when Kiseki said yes, and that he reminded him of their arrangements at least twice every day. However, he decided to ignore that observation at the time.

Finally able to travel by himself, Kiseki Apparated to the Leaky Cauldron at the decided time on Saturday. It was right after closing hours, though the sun was still at least partially visible in the sky. For the most part, it resembled a painting, with strokes of orange, pink, and purple coating the clouds. Kiseki couldn't help but smile to himself: he had a feeling the day would be a great one. If only he'd realized how terrible his instincts were.

Still grinning blissfully, Kiseki strode into the empty pub. He'd grown to know the place so well that he felt completely comfortable sliding into the kitchen with expectations that a beaming Cyrus would be standing there. His smile faltered, though, as he was greeted by Cyrus's dark haired mother and red headed father, their icy eyes peering at him as if he was an unwanted insect.

"U-uh, hello, Mr. and Mrs. Paranade… I'm, here for Cyrus," he declared in a voice much smaller than he intended.

"He's in the back," Cyrus's father indicated. At his words, his eyes widened regretfully and his wife shot him a death glare.

"Why would you tell him that?" she shrieked through clenched teeth. She spun around to face where Kiseki was standing. "Look, our son is busy, so you can head right on home." However, Kiseki had already darted out the back door. He came to see Cyrus, and see Cyrus he would!

He had never been behind the Leaky Cauldron before. In front of and beside, but never behind. There wasn't much to see: just some dumpsters and beat up wooden boxes of medium size. Kiseki trudged through the dusty alley despite the increasingly strong air of foreboding. After what felt like half an hour, Kiseki turned a corner and came upon a dead end. The sight that was set before him, though, caused him to immediately duck back behind the brick corner.

A group of three adults whom he'd never seen before had Cyrus cornered against a wall. A ginger haired woman that looked to be in her early thirties had her wand held up to Cyrus's chest. "_Locomotor Mortis!_" she hissed in bitter amusement. Cyrus shrieked as his arms clung to his sides, his legs snapping together. He fell to the ground with a _thud, _causing the other three to erupt with laughter. The woman kneeled beside him and crooned, "Poor baby. Let Big Sissy help you out." With a flick of her wand, Cyrus regained access of his limbs; however, it was apparent this abrupt change caused him much pain.

"_Aguamenti!_" shouted a stocky, brown haired man before Cyrus could manage to clamber to his feet. A stream of water spurted out of the tip of his wand, soaking Cyrus from head to toe. The cruel laughter rang out from among the trio once more.

The last of them- a man who looked to be only slightly older than Cyrus, and with rust colored hair- made a distinct motion with his wand. It appeared as if an invisible giant had suddenly snatched Cyrus by the ankle and hoisted him into the air upside-down.

"Cut it OUT! The blood's… going… to… my head…!" Cyrus cried, his face gradually draining of color.

"Fine, fine, whatever you like," murmured the youngest man. Smirking, he made another motion with his wand, and Cyrus crashed painfully to the ground.

"How about we make things a little illegal?" the brown haired man suggested.

"Is Daddy still friendly with the Minister?" questioned the woman, a wicked smile creeping onto her face.

"Naturally." With that word, the man with the brown hair raised his wand at Cyrus, who was shivering horribly and staring at the trio with utmost terror evident in his face. "_CRUCI-"_

"_EXPELLIARMUS!" _The spell was called out before Kiseki even realized he'd opened his mouth. With his jumpy nature, he'd always been talented at defensive spells and quick to use them. Now, however, he regretted the skill.

As if they shared a brain, the three adults turned upon Kiseki with raised wands. He gasped silently as he noticed all of them had the same eye color as Cyrus. That must mean…

"Wait, stop. It's not worth it," the rusty haired man called, lowering his arm. "We don't know this kid. C'mon, we've had our fun… We can leave for now." With a crack, he was gone. Grumbling their muffled protest yet agreement, the other two took care to spit on Cyrus before Apparating away.

Kiseki didn't hesitate to bolt to the side of the cowering yellow-orange-haired man. "_Tergeo,_" he whispered, and Cyrus was immediately dry. Nevertheless, his shaking continued. "Y-you've saved me… Oh, it was _so _lucky you showed up…" he gasped, his skin lacking color.

"Who WERE those people?" Kiseki asked in a soft voice. "Unless you don't want me to know," he added quickly. Cyrus made a slight motion with his head.

"N-no, I'll tell you. They're my… siblings." So Kiseki's hunch was correct… Cyrus's trembling paused for just a moment as he gulped. "The woman is, u-um, she's 29, and the men are 25 a-and 20. I'm the b-baby… See, those three, th-they're all perfectly wonderful wizards and a witch. B-but I'm the Squib that ruined their family name… They h-HATE me. They've used their magic a-against me ever since they were a-allowed… Though my dad is so close to the M-Minister, they could've pulled a-anything they wanted, as you sa-saw."

"And your parents let them?" Kiseki inquired quietly, stroking Cyrus's shoulder with his thumb.

"Well… Yes and no. They t-tell them constantly to leave me be. B-but when they don't o-obey them, they act as if nothing's ha-happened," he answered. Without any warning, he lunged forward and embraced Kiseki; he began to sob, yet no tears left his eyes. "Th-this is why I was s-so determined to go somewhere with yo-you tonight… I knew they were gonna c-come, and I wa-wanted- n-NEEDED- to escape… One day they're gonna bloody k-KILL me!"

Still caught off guard by the sudden hug, Kiseki gradually wrapped his arms around Cyrus. "No… No, they won't… Cyrus, they can't! If they killed you… It's simple, really: you can't live without me, and I can't live without you," he murmured. As he felt Cyrus hug him even tighter, he ran one hand over his wavy, askew hair and gingerly rubbed his back with the other.

"I… I'll be honest, after Grandmum died, I thought I would co-commit suicide… Really I did, mate… I-if I hadn't met you…" Cyrus drew in a terribly quivering breath. "I probably would have gone through with it."

Kiseki felt his heart throb. Only once had Cyrus touched on the topic of his grandmother, and even then he changed the subject quickly. From the time he was 4, he was raised by his grandmother, only visiting with his parents once or twice a week. However, after 11 years, the elderly woman had fallen ill, resulting in Cyrus being sent to live permanently with his parents. A bit less than a month before Cyrus met Kiseki, she had passed away. They hadn't talked about the situation enough, though, for Kiseki to truly get a feel for how much her death affected Cyrus.

"W-well… I don't want to give myself undeserved credit, but I guess I must be some sort of guardian angel or something, if I'm the only reason you're alive… Even if I'm not, it's a good thing you met me. The world could do with people like you…" Kiseki murmured.

Cyrus sniffled, attempting to quiet his dry sobs. Surprisingly, he managed a miniscule grin. "That last sentence… I-it rhymed." Kiseki chuckled, hugging him even closer (if at all possible).

"Do you still want to do something this evening?"

"Of co-course! But, how about we just… go to the park or something," Cyrus offered, sitting back on his bottom. Kiseki nodded, getting up off his knees and offering his hand. It was quite possibly the first time that Cyrus was the paler of the two.

"We should Apparate there. Take my arm," Kiseki instructed gently. With a small bob to his head, Cyrus did as he was told. _You love him_, insisted the voice in Kiseki's head. Perhaps it was because he had come to ignore his conscience, or perhaps it was because he was trying to concentrate on Apparation, but for once, Kiseki did not argue.


	7. Chapter 7

Though not depressed or anything of the sort, over the next few days, Cyrus was acting notably less cheerful. His grin was feeble as opposed to bright, while his eyes lacked their usual playful flicker and his upbeat voice became soft. The only time his true personality showed itself was when he was around Kiseki. However, one thing that did change was that every time Kiseki left, Cyrus would stare after him, very closely resembling a puppy being left behind at a kennel and watching its owners heading off for vacation.

Their daily visits were altering, too. Cyrus's parents were forcing him to eat larger breakfasts so that he could work right through his lunch break. Consequently, instead of chatting over a small meal, Kiseki had adjusted to simply keeping Cyrus company. He only briefly told himself that it was okay because they'd soon run out of topics to discuss, since he knew that was certainly not the case. Kiseki didn't have many clear memories of his childhood, though his parents had told him countless true stories of it- both poignant and humorous- for him to recite, and even these were only half of the accounts he could tell; Cyrus had numerous tales about his life with his grandmother, customers he'd encountered at the Leaky Cauldron, and ways he'd entertain himself being locked in his room.

Kiseki's conscience was still insisting after every visit that he was in love with Cyrus. These mental arguments, however, began to differ as well: Kiseki would now give a half-hearted counter and move on. For a while, he figured this was simply because he was sick of fighting with himself. About a week after the incident with Cyrus's siblings, though, he concluded something that filled him with dread, wonder, and anxiety all at the same time: he truly had fallen in love with Cyrus Paranade.

But how to tell him? The only relationship he had been in was with Drew, who had made the first move. Cyrus's reaction wasn't TOO worrisome, since he was completely accepting of being gay. Still, that didn't necessarily mean he would return Kiseki's feelings… Nonetheless, he just had to tell him. There was no way he could keep it bottled up inside him for long…

After much contemplating (and wondering aloud to nobody but himself and his cat), Kiseki decided it would be best to seek help from one of his siblings. He knew he'd be able to confront his parents about it, but for some reason just couldn't bring himself to. So, he reviewed the options of his siblings. Raito would certainly be willing to, though Kiseki had a dreadful feeling he would give advice suiting his own forward, confident personality. Raye had loved Scorpius from the time she was a toddler… Would she even remember how she went about confessing? Kiseki felt he'd already reached his limit of asking favors from Austin, who must have his hands full what with his first child being due so soon. He knew he'd be able to confide in Katherine about absolutely anything- she'd give her life for him. However, as mentioned once before, Kathy lived in France. Kiseki doubted he was able to Apparate across countries, and writing a letter would take much too long. Alexandra had never even had a boyfriend, so surely she had no useful advice on the topic…

Groaning, Kiseki fell back on his bed, tangling his fingers in his messy hair. It seemed he'd have to approach the situation all by himself… The very thought of it made him gulp.

It was on a drizzly Wednesday evening that Kiseki decided to tell Cyrus those three important words. The Leaky Cauldron was packed, the customers mainly consisting of hungry adults who were heading home from work and shoppers escaping the soft precipitation. Despite the mass sea of consumers, it wasn't hard to spot Cyrus in between tables. Kiseki swept over to him, feeling unnerved about his ill-rehearsed confession.

"Hey, Cyrus-"

"Oy, hello, mate! This isn't your usual time," Cyrus interrupted, handing a mug of a smoking liquid to a very depressed-looking middle aged man.

"Yeah, sorry, I just… Can I tell you something?" Kiseki suddenly became more aware of his heartbeat pulsing throughout his body.

"Naturally! But, you'll have to wait just a moment," Cyrus responded as he slapped his pockets in search of his notepad. Kiseki nodded sharply and proceeded to lean against a wall.

Each minute that dragged by seemed to last an hour. Every time a customer left, a new one would come in to take their place. Kiseki caught himself digging his nails into his palms and grinding his teeth slightly on multiple occasions. Finally, with an emphasized sigh, Cyrus approached him, blowing a strand of his askew hair away from his eyes.

"Blimey, this may be the most business we've ever gotten… Now what'd you want to tell me?"

With a deep gulp, Kiseki stepped away from the wall. He felt himself begin to perspire lightly: this was it… "Cyrus, I… I might as well get right to the point so you can get back to work. I…" Kiseki abruptly lowered his voice. "…love you."

Cyrus tilted his head innocently. "Come again?" He motioned at his ear, implying the din of the chatting people awaiting their meals. Kiseki's cheeks flushed.

"I _love _you."

A frown formed on Cyrus's face. He raised his voice. "It really is noisy in here, I'm sorry, but can you speak up just a tad?" Just as he said this, Mrs. Paranade emerged from the kitchen.

"Cyrus, what are you doing standing around? No slacking!" she shouted above all the sound.

"Just a moment, Mum!" Cyrus called over his shoulder. He turned back to Kiseki. "I really am sorry, but, ONE more time…" He sounded noticeably stressed. Kiseki inhaled a great breath.

Have you ever experienced a moment where lots of people are talking, then for some odd, unknown reason, the sound just dies down altogether simultaneously? One of these moments occurred the second Kiseki declared reasonably loudly, "Cyrus, I'm completely in LOVE with you!"

The silence seemed to increase to the point that you could hear a pin drop; you could just FEEL the atmosphere turn to shock. Kiseki and Cyrus stood there facing each other, statue still with wide eyes and slightly agape mouths. Every single person in the Leaky Cauldron was staring at them, but more so at Cyrus. Kiseki's jaw moved a tiny bit, his voice failing him. Without warning, he sprung back to life, spun on his heel, and bolted out the door faster than he could remember ever running in his life.

It took Cyrus a few seconds longer to recover. With a shake of his head and a half-step forward, he yelled Kiseki's name.

"That filthy little…" hissed Mrs. Paranade, her husband now standing behind her and looking equally as disgusted.

"Kiseki isn't filthy! He's-!" Not bothering to finish himself, Cyrus flung his black apron onto the ground and shot out of the pub.

Huffing, Kiseki flung his back against a brick wall in an abandoned alley. His face was burning red, yet his insides felt icy and tight. He cried out wordlessly, squeezing his temples and kicking at the ground. "You've done it… Oh, you idiot, you've gone and ruined Cyrus's life!" he shrieked in agony.

"Kiseki...! There you are, mate!" breathed Cyrus, ducking into the alley and panting heavily. He clutched a stitch in his side, still managing to speed walk over to his companion. The very sight of him made tears spring into Kiseki's eyes.

"I… I-I don't even know where to BEGIN!"Kiseki croaked, snapping his head away. "You hate me now… You must!"

"No… Come now, I don't hate you, not in the least…" Cyrus assured him gently.

"W-well you at least must be mad at me! I-I made a fool of you in front of all those people!" Kiseki retorted, his tears multiplying.

Cyrus took a few steps closer. His voice remained soft. "How on Earth can you think you made a fool out of me?" Kiseki began to respond, but Cyrus shook his head and pressed his hand against Kiseki's pale cheek, gingerly forcing him to look at him. "Look, the only reason I'm even a little upset with you is that you ran off before I could tell you how _I_ felt." Kiseki's mind began to race so fast it felt blank, and he was now crying so much that he was whimpering quietly.

The yellow-orange-haired boy slid his other hand onto Kiseki's face, his callused fingers gradually getting wet from the tears they stopped in their tracks. Slowly, as if making sure Kiseki would stay in place, he removed his hands. Reflexively, Kiseki shut his emerald eyes tightly. However, they were quickly reopened as he felt a moist warmth against his lips. All of the thoughts spinning rapidly in his mind seemed to evaporate at that very moment. Cyrus sluggishly moved back after a few seconds, his gorgeous blue eyes meeting Kiseki's. There was barely a centimeter between them, so that their breath tickled each other's mouths.

Without any comment, Kiseki flung his arms around Cyrus as Cyrus himself wrapped his arms around the shorter boy's waist, and the two shared another kiss- more tender this time. Kiseki's crying did not let up as he had hoped; however, they had certainly transitioned to tears of joy.


	8. Chapter 8

After that second kiss, they sat beside each other against the wall and pondered whether or not to call themselves a couple or not. Kiseki feared it would label Cyrus all sorts of titles he need not, but he didn't seem to mind: he refused to deny that he loved Kiseki and wanted him (Cyrus blushed as he declared these words).

Once they came to a conclusion that they were to be partners, the two young men thought it best to head back to the Leaky Cauldron, for the light drizzle had increased to an even rain and their teeth had already begun to chatter. Cyrus wrapped his fingers around Kiseki's hand, but with slightly widened eyes he immediately drew back. With a tiny shake to his head that sent raindrops dancing off his messy damp hair, Kiseki blushed and hastened to hold Cyrus's hand. And so, this odd pairing swept through the rain drenched streets, hand in hand, back to the pub where Cyrus lived.

However, when they arrived, they were greeted with something slightly unexpected. Of course they didn't anticipate a warm welcome after the scene the two had caused, but they still were unprepared for what actually occurred.

The front door was swung open before Cyrus even touched the handle. His mother stood there, icy eyes blazing like someone had set fire to a crystal lake. "You… You've disgraced our family long enough, being a filthy _Squib _and all. But now… Not only did you leave your work post, but you went and ran off with another MAN! You're disgusting… Positively _revolting_… You get out of my pub, and don't you ever, EVER come back!" she snarled.

"But… Mum, no, I, you can't do this…" Cyrus sputtered, his soaked locks blocking his widened eyes.

"I can and I will. OUT!" Mrs. Paranade bellowed. Gripping her youngest son by the shoulders, she shoved him onto the street with more strength than one would have thought a woman of her size would have.

"Bloody… All my stuff is in there…" murmured Cyrus as he tried to steady himself, having nearly fallen backwards into a puddle.

"That doesn't matter at the moment… I could always use a spell to get them later. For now, we just need to get out of this rain. We could go to my place," Kiseki reasoned, gingerly grabbing his arm. He lowered his voice so that it was inaudible above the patter of the rain. "And if you'd like, you could stay there until things get… sorted out." Not hearing the last sentence, Cyrus just turned to him, his expression blank besides some mild shock and curiosity. Blushing slightly, Kiseki gave a small dismissive nod and gripped Cyrus's arm. "Ready to Apparate?" he asked above the rain. After Cyrus nodded, Kiseki concentrated hard and they Disapparated on the spot.

"Well… Here's my flat. It's not much, but, at least I'm not out on the street," Kiseki declared softly a few minutes later. The apartment in which Kiseki lived was inhabited all by magical persons, so he had used _Tergeo _to dry them both off in the lobby. The shock from being disowned was gradually had seeped out of Cyrus's features on the way up the stairs, and a smile actually crept onto his face once Kiseki switched on the lights.

"Not much? I've been restricted to a room about the size of three broom cupboards for almost all of my life, mate. This is _brilliant,_" Cyrus breathed in a voice much unlike his own usual one. His eyes wandered around the flat, taking in every feature: a few feet in front of him, the sitting room with a delicate green loveseat, tan rug, and a TV with a 16"x12"screen perched on a wooden stand; to his left, the dining area with red-brown carpeting, a round wooden table with only 2 chairs and two white-painted doors leading to the bedroom and bathroom; on the right of this area, the tiny kitchen consisting of a white fridge, marble countertop, a few pale gray cabinets, and black-and-white tile flooring.

"Well, I guess so." Kiseki shifted his weight in apparent discomfort. Clearly, he wasn't used to having guests. "It's late, we should probably get some sleep… You can take my bed, I'll sleep on the couch," he offered.

Slight alarm made itself evident on Cyrus's face. "Oh, no, I could never do that to my host!" A blush swept across his cheeks under his short-shaved facial hair. "How, big is your bed? Because, if it's alright with you, we could… We could share it."

Kiseki's face flushed. "I-it's, probably big enough, yes… A-and I'm fine with it, a-as long as you are…" he whispered. Cyrus gave a little nod, following his companion into the bedroom. Like the rest of the home, it was little: a medium sized bed draped in a wrinkled green blanket was in one corner, a side table with a lamp on it to its left, a dresser was beside the doorway, and a closet was on the left wall. Curled up on one of the clearly over-fluffed pillows was a scruffy, ginger-brown tabby sort of cat. She opened one eye, stretched, and yawned widely with an odd sort of "meow."

"So this is the kitty you've told me about?" Cyrus confirmed. "What was her name, uh, Kiki…?"

Kiseki smiled without acknowledging he'd done so. "Close: it's Koko."

"Ah, right, right. Well, she's lovely." Cyrus kneeled on the side of the bed, gently scratching the feline behind her ears. She eyed him uncertainly for a moment before pressing her head into his palm; a purr arose in her throat.

Still grinning softly, Kiseki shuffled over to his dresser. "Um, you're probably the same size clothes as me… You could borrow a pair of my pajamas," he murmured, mentally scolding himself for blushing so uncontrollably.

Cyrus looked on the edge of devastated. "What? Oh, no, you've done plenty for me. I'm _completely _fine with sleeping in my clothes. Honest!"

"Well I'm _not _completely fine with it," Kiseki countered, tossing a pair of pale blue pajama bottoms with a button down shirt to match at Cyrus. Staring at the bundle of clothing like they were a rich substance he'd never seen before, he smiled softly. He took a step forward and ruffled Kiseki's dark hair.

"Thanks, then, mate." Gulping as if he could swallow away the pinkness of his cheeks, Kiseki offered a feeble smile and slipped into the bathroom to change into his own pajamas. When he came out, Cyrus was in the nightclothes he was given, his work clothes folded in a neat pile on the ground. He sat on the bed with his legs crisscrossed, stroking Koko affectionately. Kiseki flashed him a soft smile and sat beside him.

"It's been a long day… I s'pose we should be getting to sleep," he suggested. Cyrus nodded, patting Koko on the head a final time and pulling back the covers so he could slide underneath them. Timidly, Kiseki climbed in next to him. "Are you positive you're comfortable with this…?"

"Only if you are, mate," Cyrus assured him. Kiseki blushed slightly, slipping under the blanket and rolling onto his side.

"Well I only don't mind if you don't mind. So… 'Night."

The warmth emanating from Cyrus's smile almost seemed to have substance. "Good night." Kiseki felt his heart give a rather unpleasant lurch as Cyrus lay down beside him. Images of the slightly younger man hugging him roughly, forcing him into inappropriate actions… Visions of him transforming into someone much different than his best friend… flashed before his mind. Yet when he chanced a look at his friend, soft snores had already arisen from the other side of the bed.


	9. Chapter 9

A week passed since Cyrus was kicked out of the Leaky Cauldron. Kiseki had snuck back to the Leaky Cauldron, using a Summoning Charm to retrieve Cyrus's belongings (much to the fury of Mrs. Paranade). The moment Cyrus woke up the morning after he'd left, he began searching through the newspaper for a job so that he could pay Kiseki for the time he spent in his apartment, as well as purchase a new house. On the fifth day of him doing this, though, Kiseki put on a brave face, walked up behind him, and gently wrapped his arms around his front.

"I'm totally fine with you looking for a job, but please don't use the money to pay me… And if you do want a new house, I could help you pay for it…" He had other things to say, but the thought of their boldness made his cheeks turn crimson. Cyrus smiled softly at him, gradually closing his paper.

"Well aren't you sweet." The smile slipped off of his face. "I hate to ask this, but I feel that I should… How do you pay for this apartment if you're, y'know, unemployed?" he questioned hesitantly. Kiseki plopped down on the chair across from him.

"I _had _a job… Shortly after I graduated from Hogwarts I started working at a little gift shop. My coworkers were always saying what a great employee I was… Except for this one guy. He had it in for me, _just _because of my mental condition. So after I'd been working there for two years, he kicked the ladder I was standing on to set up things on a top shelf. I slipped, nearly falling, and I knocked everything off of the shelf. Apparently the boss had a 1-strike-you're-out rule opposed to 3 strikes, because I was fired the next day," he explained sadly. "It was about 2 months before I met you," he added as an afterthought.

"Blimey… People are horrible," Cyrus murmured, sympathy glazing his face. Kiseki gave a small shrug.

"Oh, that bloke was the worst. My boss did have a soft spot for me though… I still get a paycheck each month."

Cyrus nodded slowly. "That's good… …Hey, how about I make breakfast? Pancakes, perhaps?" He offered, getting to his feet. Pleasure danced onto Kiseki's face.

"Sure thing! That sounds great." Blushing as he received a gentle kiss on the lips, Kiseki slipped away to change out of pajamas. Closing the bedroom door, he smiled to himself as he heard the sound of Cyrus humming while searching through the cabinets for ingredients and a pan. Maybe he _should _have said all he'd wanted to back there… Cyrus probably wouldn't be upset with him for asking if they could buy a house together_… _

The smile slid off of Kiseki's face before he could pull his plain green t-shirt completely down, and not just because he realized what the grand largeness of permanently moving in with Cyrus would be. "Er… Cyrus, l-love? You may want to hold off on those pancakes… I'm feeling sort of ill in the stomach," he called feebly. The sound of clinking metal halted, followed shortly by footsteps muffled by the carpeting.

"Oh…? Can I come in?" Cyrus's voice sounded thoroughly concerned through the door.

"Y-yeah," Kiseki responded, leaning uncomfortably against his dresser. Not much more than a second later, Cyrus was in the room with his hand pressed against Kiseki's forehead.

"You're not warm, but you are a tad bit clammy… Sit down, darling," Cyrus instructed softly. Blushing a soft shade of pink (he still hadn't gotten quite used to being called things like 'honey,' 'darling,' or 'sweetheart' by anyone but his mom), Kiseki sat himself on the edge of the bed. "Even if your stomach's bothering you, it'd be in your best interest to eat just a little… Why don't I get you something small?" Cyrus offered, crossing his arms absently.

"Alright," Kiseki said softly with a nod to his head. Cyrus left the room in a flash, returning in no time with a granola bar grasped in his hand.

"Here you are, love. Don't worry about throwing the wrapper away, I'll get that later… When you're finished, get some rest," he directed.

"Sounds like a plan… And, thanks a million." Kiseki blushed deeper, pausing the unwrapping of his granola bar. "I'd give you a kiss, but if I've got a stomach bug I don't want you to catch it." Cyrus chuckled, kneeling on the bed side and nuzzling his nose against Kiseki's cheek.

"Thank you for the consideration." Standing up, he pointed an accusing finger at him despite the lighthearted smile on his face. "If it hurts too much to eat, stop halfway. And make sure to get a good amount of some form of sleep." Kiseki gave a salute, taking a bite out of the granola bar.

Come 10 minutes later, Kiseki had fallen into a surprisingly deep sleep. Deciding that there would be no point in making breakfast if not for Kiseki, Cyrus settled with pouring himself a bowl of cereal. He sat munching at the table, his mind humming pointlessly, when a sharp _ring_ suddenly chimed throughout the house. The sound was vaguely familiar… _Where've I heard that before? _he wondered as it rang again. _Oh, right! On Muggle television! It's a, let's see now… Telephone! _Unable to help himself, he slid his chair back and approached the cordless phone perched on the kitchen counter. The caller ID read "Ueda, Austin." Kiseki obviously couldn't come and answer the call, and Austin _did _know who Cyrus was…

"Hello?" Cyrus said into the receiver, barely aware he'd picked the phone up.

"Uh- Kiseki…?" Austin sounded mildly confused, though there was an evident edge of excitement in his tone.

"Oh, no, it's his friend Cyrus… He's ill, and still in bed. Can I, take a message?" Cyrus shocked himself with how easily the words came. He was also surprised at how unfazed Austin's response sounded, despite hearing that Cyrus was answering his little brother's phone for him.

"Yes, please. Tell him he's got a healthy new little nephew," he exclaimed. A small gasp escaped Cyrus's lips, which were immediately twitching into a smile.

"Blimey…!" He gave a short laugh. "That's wonderful! Congratulations! What's the little angel's name?"

From his tone, Austin was truly touched by Cyrus's enthusiasm. "Why thank you. His name is Sai. He looks just like his papa, except he got his mum's Indian skin- I suppose I don't need to describe him, I was planning on asking if Kiseki would like to come meet the little guy. You're welcome to come along, if you'd like."

"I'd be honored, and I'm sure Kiseki would love to… I'll ask him when he wakes up."

"Brilliant! Well, I suppose I'll see you soon. 'Bye!" Before Cyrus could return a farewell, a continuous _beep _signaled that Austin had hung up. Slightly dazed, Cyrus situated the phone back on its stand before going to check on Kiseki.

As expected, he was still asleep. Cyrus smiled softly, doing his best not to make a sound as he crept over the bedside. Kiseki lay on his side, pale fingers gingerly gripping the tip of the blanket of their own accord. How young and innocent the brown haired boy looked in his sleep, breathing gently through partially parted lips… Cyrus tilted his head slightly, just now noticing that Kiseki had a single small, round, golden earring. How many other things did he not know about his new boyfriend? How many things would he eventually learn?

Kiseki stirred a bit, catching Cyrus's attention. He blinked, groggily opening his emerald green eyes. He propped himself upright with a yawn. Smiling tiredly, he said, "Wow, a nap can do wonders."

Cyrus chuckled. "I'm glad you feel better," he responded, lightly running his fingers over Kiseki's messy hair and making him blush. "Your brother Austin called while you were sleeping… He's a daddy now, and wants you to meet your new nephew," he indicated. Kiseki suddenly appeared wide awake, his face lighting up.

"Radha had her baby! Brilliant! Austin said we can visit today?" he confirmed excitedly. Cyrus nodded, standing out of the way so Kiseki could jump out of bed. "I'm going to go tidy myself up a little, then we can go," Kiseki remarked, disappearing into the bathroom. Shaking his head pleasantly, Cyrus plopped back down on the bed only to have Koko climb up into his lap. He immediately started scratching her head.

"It's good to know you like me, cat, because if things go as I hope… I'll be sticking with your owner for a long time," he whispered down at the purring feline.


	10. Chapter 10

"Bloody heck, I haven't seen Austin that proud since he was chosen for Head Boy," Kiseki exclaimed, walking out of the hospital lobby. He and Cyrus's visit had been a short one, since Radha and the baby both needed rest, but it was certainly worthwhile. Tiny Sai Ueda was adorable, wrapped gingerly in his mother's arms and staring at all his visitors with an innocent blank expression. His skin was the same dark tan color as his mother's, as Austin said, while the only other physical trait he'd inherited from Radha was the shape of his petite head. Otherwise, his fuzzy hair was just a shade darker than Austin's light brown, and he had his dad's lips, nose, and teal eyes.

"Aw, Kiseki, he likes you!" Radha had squealed, cuddling her baby affectionately. Standing up straighter, Kiseki blushed lightly.

"Hm? How can you tell?" he asked.

"He's been staring at you for a while- sorry if that's making you uncomfortable, I suppose he doesn't know any better- and for just about everyone else, after a few seconds he either started crying or averted his gaze," she explained, her sparkling brown eyes glued to Sai.

"Oh, I see…" Kiseki chuckled, tickling the baby's chin with his index finger. "Well I'm honored." Radha opened her mouth to respond, only to interrupt herself with a yawn.

"You sweethearts have had a long day, you should probably get some sleep," Austin requested, kissing Radha's cheek and caressing his fingers across Sai's. Smiling as widely as he'd been all day, he took a few steps forward and hugged his younger brother with one arm. "It was great seeing you, buddy. You too, Cyrus!"

Looking mildly surprised, Cyrus grinned. "Oy, thanks! Congratulations," he responded. Kiseki nodded, giving Austin a quick hug and stepping backward.

"What he said. And, good luck!"

"Those two are so nice. Sai is such a lucky little guy," Cyrus insisted, stretching as he and Kiseki stepped outside of the hospital. A gentle smile formed on his lips. "Kids really seem to like you." Kiseki blushed, shrugging; before he could form a verbal reply, he abruptly felt a strong arm wrap around his neck from behind. He cried out with widened eyes, trying to break away.

"Whoa, calm down, little buddy! I'm not gonna mug you or nothing," came the voice of Raito Ueda. Immediately loosening up, Kiseki squirmed free and let out an aggravated sigh.

"Are you mental? Don't scare me like that!" He huffed. Raito put up his hands in mock surrender.

"Sorry, sorry. Come on, you love me."

"Yeah, okay," Kiseki muttered, rubbing his neck and drifting back to Cyrus's side. Raito grinned at the blue eyed boy.

"Still my baby bro's BFF? Haha, say that one ten times fast…" For a second, he actually mouthed the words "baby bro's BFF" a few times in a row.

"Of course, I wuv him," Cyrus assured him, laughing. As if to prove his point, he took a springy step to the side, pressed his chest against one of Kiseki's shoulders and linked his fingers together against the other, and rubbed his head against him like an overly affectionate kitten. Kiseki turned beet red, freezing with his hand still on his neck, though a minuscule smile twitched on his face.

"So, Raito, where's Presilla?" Kiseki inquired quickly, sliding his hand off of his neck and resting it on Cyrus's arm. Suspicion crossed Raito's expression for a very brief second, but his usual joyful stance returned before it could be noticed. He nodded over his shoulder at a bench lined up against the outside wall of the hospital. Seated on it was his black haired wife, snuggling a crying Jasper into her chest.

"That son of ours, being in his terrible twos, refused to go to bed early enough last night, so now he's all tired and fussy. Silla's calming him down." Raito's tone came out in an odd combination of frustration and doting.

"Raito? Kiseki? Blimey, it's been a while!" called a feminine voice that Kiseki found very familiar. Face lighting up, he ducked out of Cyrus's arms and spun in the direction of the speaker: Kathy Ueda. Her hair was light brown, a bit less than shoulder length, and wavy, plus behind a blackish-purple pair of glasses she had the same emerald green eyes as her little brother. In her hand was a can of juice, symbolizing that she was coming over from the vending machine. Kiseki embraced her in a hug the moment she was within hugging range.

"Kathy! You came here all the way from France?" Kiseki breathed. Wrapping her arms around her little brother, Kathy nodded.

"Of course! Like I'd miss out on meeting my new nephew…" Keeping her hands on Kiseki's shoulders, she took a step back and looked him up and down with shimmering eyes. "The past year has been good on you, huh? You're not as pale as I remember, you're not such a stick, you got a little taller…"

Kiseki laughed cheerfully. "You look great too. Hey, where's James?" His demeanor shifted. "You uh… You two still going good?" All of the Uedas had doubts about Kathy getting back together with James, even though he was the oldest son of Harry Potter. Not too many years prior, he had cheated on Kathy 3 times and treated her more like a maid than a girlfriend.

"Oh, we're actually going better than ever! If anyone can clean up their act, it's him. He is _so _determined to make me never regret buying a home with him… Yeah, he's still in France- he's 'guarding the house while I'm gone.'"

"I see! I'm glad everything's going well," Kiseki indicated with two nods. "By the way, you know that friend I wrote to you about? Cyrus Paranade? This is him." He motioned to Cyrus, who smiled warmly at the mention of his name. Kathy's own grin softened, and she put out her hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Katherine Ueda. You have no idea how happy I am that Kiseki found someone he can really count on as a friend," she said. Smiling wider, Cyrus accepted her handshake.

"Nice meeting you too. And hey, he's more my lifesaver than I am his." The expression that fell upon Kiseki's face made it clear that he found these words flattering.

For the next few moments, Kathy caught up with her brothers while Cyrus listened in, remaining politely silent. Kathy was halfway through disproving French stereotypes when Raito pointed over everyone's heads and exclaimed, "Look, here comes more of the Ueda clan!" Sure enough, walking out of the hospital was Shiro, clad in his white doctor's coat, followed by Raye in her Healer uniform and Shiro's wife, Konata. "You playin' hooky, twin sis? Shouldn't you be at St. Mungo's?"

Raye rolled her eyes, smiling. "_No, _but business was slow there and Dad needed another Healer's opinion on a spell misfire case in this hospital. While I was here, I just thought I might as well swing by Austin and Radha with their baby," she explained casually. "And before you leap on Dad about why _he _isn't at work, it's his break time."

"Yeah, yeah, you and your excuses," Raito muttered, a grin immediately reappearing on his face.

"Merlin's beard, I feel like I haven't seen all of you in forever… Especially you, Kathy. Come now, everyone give their mum a big ol' hug," Konata demanded joyfully, opening her arms. Although Raito took up most of the hug, Kiseki, Raye, and Kathy managed to slip in. It wasn't long before, just like with Raito and Kiseki, Kathy started chatting about her life in France with her parents and Raye. A few seconds into the conversation, Raito declared that he had to return to Presilla and Jasper, so he gave hurried good-bye hugs before trotting off. This left Cyrus and Kiseki to stand feeling awkwardly excluded.

"You know… Nobody seems to have noticed the young man with Kiseki," Konata commented as Kathy concluded discussing how divine French cuisine was. All at once, everyone turned to face Cyrus, making him suddenly feel like he was in the limelight.

"So we meet again, Cyrus," smiled Shiro, tilting his head very slightly. Konata's face lit up even brighter than it had been before; one might think her expression could illuminate a dark room.

"Cyrus? Ah, so this is that friend you've told us so much about?"

To Cyrus's surprise, Kiseki was slow to respond. Shouldn't his immediate answer be "yes"? However, from the gradual redness of his face, Cyrus came to a quick conclusion that made him blush himself. "No…" Kiseki murmured. Taking a deep breath, he groped the air for Cyrus's hand and wrapped his fingers around it. "This is my _boyfriend _I've told you so much about.

Everyone's eyes widened; Cyrus gripped Kiseki's hand tighter and Konata's fingers flew to her mouth. They were not hiding disgust, though: on the contrary, they were covering a smile so large it hurt the woman's mouth. "Oh, _Kiseki… _Sweetheart, I'm so happy for you!" The look of sheepishness that Kiseki took on made him appear a few years younger.

"You… are?"

"Why wouldn't she be? This is bloody _wonderful, _buddy!" Shiro insisted, ruffling his youngest son's hair and looking at Cyrus with a newfound affection. Raye and Kathy, both grinning from ear to ear, nodded their silent agreement.

"This is certainly the best way you all could react," Cyrus said softly, caressing the edge of Kiseki's hand with his pinky. He turned to Konata and Shiro. "And Mr. and Mrs. Ueda, I love your son more than anything I ever have in my whole life, and I promise I'll be as good to him as possible. Yeah, he's got some issues, but who doesn't? Besides, I personally think they're pretty _minor _problems." Konata looked about ready to burst into happy tears, while Kiseki was fighting the urge to throw himself into Cyrus's arms and/or give him a heartfelt kiss right then and there.

"That is one of the sweetest things I have _ever _heard in my life," Konata insisted, her green eyes sparkling. "I would love to stay, but I've got things to do at home… It was wonderful seeing everyone, and to meet you, Cyrus. I'll have to invite the two of you over for cookies sometime… Oh, and Kiseki, when I write to Alex about Sai, would you mind if I added that you and Cyrus are a couple in there?"

How odd it felt to hear someone else refer to them as a couple… "Sure, go ahead," Kiseki murmured with a blush. Konata nodded; she kissed all of her kids on the cheeks, Shiro on the lips, and headed off to find a spot to Disapparate from. "She's a nut…" Kiseki sighed. "But we love her anyway." Cyrus laughed.

"Aw, don't call her a nut. I think she's super nice."

"Giving a little speech about your loyalty to Kiseki, defending his mother… You're quite a kiss-up, hm?" Shiro remarked. Before Cyrus could look fully devastated and embarrassed, Shiro added, "I like you, Cyrus." He kissed his daughters on the foreheads, then ruffled Cyrus's and Kiseki's hair. "I've got to get back to work now, but I'll see you kids around. Especially if Konata was sincere about that cookies thing…" Shaking his head while grinning, Shiro swept back into the hospital.

"Mm, I should be returning to St. Mungo's." Raye looked back and forth between Kathy and Kiseki, gripping their shoulders lightly. "Keep in touch, you two…" She turned to Cyrus, smiling kindly. "I'd tell you to be good to Kiseki, but I feel confident that you will." At that, she went off in the same direction her mother had.

"Cyrus, would you mind if I talked to Kiseki alone for just a minute?" Kathy questioned pleasantly. Cyrus shook his head.

"Of course not, go ahead." Nodding appreciatively, Kathy took her brother's hand and walked off out of anyone's earshot.

"Kiseki, buddy… Please don't take this the wrong way, because you know that I'll always be among the first to trust you an that I'm always on your side… But, yes, Cyrus seems so sweet and I do think he really loves you, yet then again, the same was said about Drew." The sound of his ex-boyfriend's name made Kiseki flinch visibly. "Are you _sure _you're doing the right thing…?"

"Absolutely," Kiseki declared without hesitation. "I started dating Drew when I was young, and still super mental. I'm older now, and my mind is so much better… Plus, Drew… He had so many other supportive people in his life. He _chose _to need me. Cyrus? He _does _need me. And frankly, I'm totally fine with that, and I know that I need _him." _Kiseki shocked himself with how easily the words came, but was still confident that he was being completely truthful.

Biting her lip lightly, Kathy stared at Kiseki skeptically for a few moments. Finally, she sighed and smiled. "Alright, I believe you. Go for it." She hugged her little brother, giving him a lengthy kiss on the head. Smiling gently, Kiseki wrapped his arms around her back. "Write me often, alright?"

"Of course. Love you, Kathy…"

"I love you too, Kiseki," Kathy whispered. She stepped back, ran her fingers across his cheek, waved to Cyrus, and walked off. Kiseki stared after her for a few seconds, memories of an 11 year old Kathy whispering him good-bye before climbing onto the Hogwarts Express flashing before his mind. He shook his head to clear the thoughts away, and strode back over to Cyrus.

"I have a feeling there's never a dull moment with your family," he commented amiably, linking his arm with Kiseki's and starting to walk off. Kiseki laughed shortly.

"Oh, certainly not."

Cyrus's expression softened. "But, you know, I've already taken a liking to them. I'm really glad they accept me… Accept _us…_" Kiseki came to a halt, causing Cyrus to almost trip. However, there was no way this could be upsetting when he saw the utterly sincere and adoring look glimmering in Kiseki's face.

"I am too. But, even if they didn't, that wouldn't mean anything… _Nothing _will make me stop being in love with you."


	11. Chapter 11

The next week brought some quiet, uneventful days for the couple. A routine had soon fallen into place: wake up, say "good morning," Kiseki would get his pills, they took showers, got dressed, had breakfast (usually made by Cyrus), and the remainder of the day would be spent just hanging around the house unless shopping was to be done. However, Cyrus used up a lot of his time scanning through the Unemployment section of the newspaper. Kiseki would have been completely fine with this, had the job listings not been located directly after the houses for sale. Every time he spotted his boyfriend observing the pictures and brief descriptions of homes, he desired to rip the paper out of his grasp. Instead, though, he came to a conclusion.

"Cyrus… I wanna talk to you," Kiseki began one morning as they set their dishes in the sink.

"Well, you've already started, so you might as well continue," Cyrus responded, grinning at the older boy. Kiseki offered a half smile, and then proceeded to sit on the couch with Cyrus in his wake. He stared at his hands clenched in his lap, heart beating rapidly and feeling his palms get sweaty… It felt as if he was about to confess his love all over again. But, no: this request was much bigger.

"Every time I see you looking over those houses for sale… It… it tears me up a little inside." Kiseki drew in a deep breath and looked into Cyrus's aqua eyes. "I don't think I could live without you, so, i-in the event that you buy a house… _Please _don't alone… Cyrus, I wanna live with you."

For a few seconds, it was airily silent and still. Then, suddenly, Cyrus lunged forward a couple inches and wrapped his arms around Kiseki. "Oh, blimey…" He chuckled excitedly. "You must be psychic, because I was going to bring the _same exact thing _up… I never look at those ads for more than a few seconds because I wanted you to help me pick out a house…"

"R…really?" It wasn't a very heartfelt response, Kiseki knew, but he was at a loss for words. Only in his dreams had this gone over so well… In his head, he'd figured the _best _case scenario was that Cyrus would appear mildly flustered and turned him down politely… Surely this wasn't reality? However, deciding this was not a dream he would want to be pinched out of, Kiseki closed his eyes lightly, gave Cyrus a hug, and made the moment last.

As the day moved on, Kiseki learned that Cyrus's response had in fact been legitimate. They sat at the kitchen table with a pencil, a notepad, plus cups of iced tea, and started jotting down what to look for. They decided they'd search for homes in about the 93,000 Pound (about $150,000) range, and for it to be as close to home as possible. To their surprise yet delight, it only took a matter of minutes for them to find a nice little one story brick townhouse that perfectly fit their expectations.

After a little more than a month of tracking down a reliable realtor, contacting the woman who was selling the house, and arranging with Kiseki's landlord to put his apartment up as available, the time to move out came. The house's former owner was an elderly woman whose daughter was eager to sell the property, so handling the money and paperwork and stuff was as easy as it could be, not to mention packing was a cinch with Kiseki's magical ability. It wasn't long before the two young men were standing on the unkempt yet still decently presentable lawn of their new home.

When the chipped front door was opened by the realtor- a young woman in horn-rimmed glasses, a red vest with miniskirt to match, and high heels- Kiseki and Cyrus felt like they'd just emerged out of the wardrobe and into Narnia. The room was quite simple: slightly dirty wall-to-wall carpeting, a rather unattractive loveseat, a wooden set of drawers with a lamp on it beside the doorway, an air conditioner built under a window, and a tiny square table in the dining area that was technically the same room as the living room. To the left of the dining space was a not-old-fashioned-but-not-exactly-modern kitchen; to the left of the living quarters, the hallway leading to a bathroom, closet, and 3 bedrooms. Considering that was the entire house, it really wasn't much… Still, Cyrus and Kiseki were certain they were in heaven.

"Well boys, here we are! Once you get your stuff all situated, you're good to go!" the realtor chimed. From her finely manicured nails, she dangled a silver key on a little ring to match. She tossed it at Cyrus. "Here, so you can lock up everything…"

"Brilliant! Thank you, you've been incredible," Cyrus responded cheerily. Kiseki had to hold back a laugh: yes, the woman was useful, but she had just about talked their ears off.

"So are you two, cousins? Step brothers?" the realtor questioned, adjusting her shoe. Smile slipping away, Kiseki glanced at Cyrus, prepared to lie, though it appeared the other boy was content with the truth.

"Neither. We're lovers," Cyrus answered casually. The realtor stumbled, her glasses falling askew. She immediately hastened to fix them, blinking rapidly behind their lenses.

"Oh! Well, uh… You like what you like, I suppose," she squeaked. "Er, well… You've got the key, all the contracts and such are dealt with… I guess I'll be going then! You know where to call if you have any concerns…" She hastily shook Cyrus and Kiseki's hands before spinning around and bolting out the door.

"She's quite correct: we know NOT to call _her_ if any issues arise," Cyrus chuckled once the realtor Disapparated. Kiseki chuckled brightly, poking his head into nearby doors despite the fact that they had already searched through the house on multiple occasions. Deciding he could wander more later, he plopped down on the homely loveseat. Once Cyrus sat beside him, he snuggled against him and smiled gently as the other boy draped his arm around his thin shoulders. Kiseki sighed happily.

For a few moments, Kiseki closed his eyes blissfully and let his joy overtake him. When his emerald eyes reopened, though, they drifted over to a pamphlet set beside the lamp, filled with tips for a new homeowner. The cover displayed an image of a man in a tuxedo grinning serenely and carrying a woman in a white gown into a new house. This normally wouldn't have fazed Kiseki at all, until his mind pictured Drew's face atop the man's. However, when he snapped his gaze away and caught Cyrus's eye, any unpleasant feelings melted away. "Fantastic… Now we can have Mum over for tea or whatever instead of going to her house," he mused, only wishing to hear someone speak, or perhaps spark a conversation. Cyrus laughed, giving him a kiss on the ear.

"Sounds lovely." Now he began gazing around as if it was a crystal palace, not a simple town house. "I suppose everything is perfect now," he murmured, gripping Kiseki's shoulder so as to make him feel physically closer. The brown haired boy slid his hand across Cyrus's lap, latching his fingers onto his lover's free hand. He glanced at the pamphlet with the picture of newlyweds, and felt something like tons of confetti explode inside of him. He knew what he would have to do next.

"Yeah… almost," he whispered, his eyes glued to the picture of the married couple.


	12. Chapter 12

For Cyrus and Kiseki, a new house meant a new life. Even though they had adapted to performing the same routine from the apartment in this home, something had changed. Not just their surroundings, though: no, it was as if when they woke up in their new house for the first time, the eyes they saw through were fresher, improved. Kiseki found himself smiling more, and the overall atmosphere had just plain altered for the better.

This change in immediate feeling, though, was not the only difference in their life. About a week after the move, Cyrus declared with bright eyes and a smile to match that he had finally grasped a job. Although this employment simply required washing dishes at an old fashioned Muggle restaurant, you would think from his reaction that Cyrus had just won the lottery.

Despite being happy for him, Kiseki couldn't help but feel a little lonely as it was now just him and Koko from 10 to 5 every weekday. This unpleasant emotion, however, was short-lived, as Kiseki had found a way to occupy his time. He would watch out the window to see to it that Cyrus proceeded from the bus stop to the bus itself, and then duck off to the dining room table. He started plotting out different approaches at asking Cyrus 4 extremely significant words. It took but a day for him to decide on it occurring over dinner- perhaps at the restaurant where they'd had their first "date"- which was still only a start.

Immediately, he ruled out being straight forward with it. That was too common; it needed to be memorable and special. He could write it on Cyrus's napkin; or ask for the alphabet soup off of the kid's menu and spell it out; or after they enjoyed a delightful night out, he could ask him right after they left; or he could bring about the question literally magically… With that last thought, Kiseki crossed out all other options and began expanding on the latter.

"Welcome back, Cyrus!" Kiseki chimed one Friday evening, standing at the door with a big smile as his boyfriend returned home. Every day, they would share a kiss whenever Cyrus entered at the end of his shifts; this time, though, it was different. Instead of just a quick peck, Kiseki embraced Cyrus in an almost childish hug and kissed him full on the mouth for a good 5 seconds.

Cyrus stood there blinking, stunned, for a moment, until a smile crept onto his face. "Blimey, what got into you, love?"

Kiseki shrugged his thin shoulders, plopping down on the sofa so that Cyrus could come all the way inside. "Today was exceptionally uneventful, I missed you a lot."

"Well, I'm here now, so fret not," Cyrus told him, sitting on the other half of the loveseat and giving Kiseki a gentle peck on the cheek. Although his beamish grin remained, Kiseki felt his heart begin to hammer nervously.

"You've had a long, hard week, you deserve a rest," he exclaimed. Cyrus stared at him incredulously, letting out a short laugh.

"Kiseki. I wash dishes. The only way it's bothersome is that all that dish soap irritates my hands."

"Yeah, well, you're still worthy of a break," Kiseki insisted, snuggling his head against Cyrus's shoulder like an overly affectionate kitten.

"You're off your rocker, you are," Cyrus muttered pleasantly, kissing Kiseki atop his messy dark brown hair. "But, what do you mean by 'a break'?"

"I was thinking we could go out for dinner tonight," Kiseki answered. "I'll pay," he added quickly. _Did that sound too desperate? Like I NEEDED him to say yes? _He wondered, having intended to make the request sound casual. His mental distress went unnoticed as Cyrus sat with his head tilted slightly, pondering his response.

"That sounds brilliant. But I'm not letting you pay, we'll split the bill."

"Oy, fine, but you're contributing less than 50%." Now Kiseki was hoping his tone didn't come out as one of two things: more relieved at Cyrus's answer than would have been normally expected, or as anxious as he felt once he acknowledged that he would be bringing about the most important question of his life in less than a few hours. So, when Cyrus flashed him a warm and loving smile, he felt certain he would melt on the spot.

About an hour and a half later, Kiseki and Cyrus were dressed presentably and heading to the restaurant they had gone to together what felt like a lifetime ago. Although he still put on an act of joy, Kiseki's jitteriness managed to show through just a bit. What if he was rejected? Surely he'd be shamed for life, and his relationship with Cyrus would be nearly slaughtered… But he'd have to take that risk, wouldn't he?

Using a majority of his willpower, Kiseki masked his anxiety and did his best to make it seem like he was calmly enjoying the evening as much as Cyrus was. To their disappointment, the restaurant was _packed; _consequently, it took 10 minutes for them to be seated and it was apparent that their order wasn't going to be taken for a long while. They conversed casually and skimmed through their menus as they waited, which resulted in Kiseki becoming legitimately relaxed. This peace, however, quickly blew over as Kiseki remembered his plan with a jolt. Cyrus was still chuckling over something the dark haired boy had told him, his eyes scanning lazily over the pages of his menu, one elbow propped on the table, his chin resting atop the back of his hand… _It's time to put this plan in motion, _Kiseki thought, gulping.

From his front pocket, he slid out his wand under the concealment of beneath the table. His green eyes swept around the room, making sure nobody was looking his direction; fortunately, it was as if no one was aware of his presence. _Just like you practiced, _the voice in his head said. These words, though, did nothing to extinguish his flaring nervousness. Barely daring to breathe, Kiseki gave a few semi-complicated flicks to his wand. It felt like the world had frozen. Did it work?

The question was soon met with an answer. Through his peripheral vision, Cyrus could have sworn he saw movement in the upper corner of his menu. He was fairly certain it was his imagination, but decided to look anyway. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped very slightly as he took notice of new words gradually formulating in one of the blank spaces, as if an invisible someone was taking their time to write them out with an also invisible pen. Cyrus glanced across the table at Kiseki, his expression inaudibly saying "What's happening?" With a meek smile, Kiseki gave a tiny nod downward, signaling for Cyrus to keep his eyes glued to the appearing words. Returning his attention to them, Cyrus's hand flew to his mouth once he saw what 4 word phrase had been written: "Will you marry me?" The blue eyed young man absently glanced under the table just in time to see Kiseki putting away his wand.

Right then and there, Cyrus had the abrupt urge to allow tears to fall down his face. Heart beating about 10 times faster than was normal, Kiseki opened his mouth to comment, but he never got the chance: Cyrus had stood up (nearly knocking over his chair in the process), leaned over the table, and kissed Kiseki amorously. Kiseki blushed madly- there were so many people around! Although frankly, he didn't care… His eyes began to droop closed, and it was just him and Cyrus now…

Mere seconds later, he was forced back into reality as a strong hand gripped the back of his shirt collar and yanked him backward. With a start, he realized that the manager was now dragging him and Cyrus toward the exit, his face fuming. "There are to be no _homos _in my restaurant. Inappropriate little scum," he growled, mercilessly tossing them toward the parking lot. They both stumbled, jumping as the door was slammed behind them. The couple did not put on upset expressions or start complaining, though… On the contrary, they let out amused laughs, seized each other's hands, and started running off. They continued off down the sidewalk hand-in-hand, no destination in mind, not even pausing when a gentle drizzle began to fall. It wasn't until they felt the need to catch their breath that they came to a halt outside a café.

"Well, what do you say?" Kiseki asked in a tired yet eager tone, digging into his pocket with the hand that wasn't being held by Cyrus. Out of it he removed a plain, golden ring. He lifted up the hand Cyrus was grasping, causing the other boy's hand to be raised as well, and held the golden circular band at ready above his ring finger. "It's not much, I was being pretty frugal… With the price I spent on it, I doubt it's real gold…"

"Kiseki, do you think that matters? You could have gotten me a ring made of yarn, or NO ring for all I care… And to answer your question, of course I'll marry you." Cyrus's cheeks flushed pink, the headlights of a passing car emphasizing the color change. "To be honest, ever since our first kiss I've been having dreams of being your husband about every other night. I guess I just never had the nerve to bring it up…"

"O-oh, wow…" Kiseki chuckled softly. "I never thought the day would come that _I'm _bolder than you." Without further comment from either of them, Cyrus allowed Kiseki to slip the ring onto his finger, both of them wearing blissful smiles. They leaned in for a quick kiss, not caring if anyone saw.

The newly engaged couple decided to eat at the café they stood outside of. It was nothing special, but with their level of happiness, it wouldn't have made a difference if they ate at a rundown fast food place. Besides: the café was quite cozy, having few customers and the scent of freshly brewed coffee in the air, plus the sandwiches they ordered tasted just fine.

Kiseki felt remarkably secure inside this warm shop, while the cold rain fell gingerly outside and his new fiancé sat so close to him with a sincerely gleeful demeanor. He was fairly confident that said sheltered, loved feeling would be present during countless days in his future. As his eyes drifted from Cyrus's face to the ring shining on his finger, he was no longer just 'fairly confident': he was positive.


	13. Chapter 13

Cyrus and Kiseki's wedding was small and quiet. Since their guest list would have been considerably short, they decided on a private wedding with just themselves and a minister (it took quite a deal of time to find someone who would wed two men). Because of their choice to not have a honeymoon, the only physical evidence they had of their marriage was photos and their rings.

About a week after becoming husbands, Kiseki proposed that they invite Konata over for tea. Not only was it something he'd told his mother he would get around to, but it provided them with an opportunity to reveal their marriage, Konata could view their new house for the first time, plus Kiseki heard that his mom had been working extra hard lately and deserved a break. So, one winter afternoon Kiseki was opening his front door to find Konata Ueda standing there.

"Brrr, it's getting near freezing out there," Konata shivered, wearing a smile so warm it could probably melt the frost on the ground.

"Well then come in," Kiseki insisted, stepping away from the door so his mother had room to enter. Konata nodded her thanks, stepped inside, closed the door behind her, and slid off her boots. She immediately looked around the room in awe, even if the house was about a fourth of the size of her own.

"Brilliant, darling, it's lovely here…" She aimed her smile at her youngest son. "Look at you, owning a house. I'm so proud…" Kiseki gave a small shrug.

"It isn't that big a deal… Plus Cyrus helped a lot…"

"Speaking of whom, where is the dear?" Konata inquired with a slight tilt to her head.

"Mm, he's in the kitchen making cookies… He's _brilliant _at cooking and baking," Kiseki answered with ill-hidden affection in his tone. He grinned. "He's better than you."

Konata, however, took no offense in this statement. "Well then he must be bloody great." There was a pause. "It _does _smell delicious… Why don't I go help him out?"

"Oh, no, you're our guest, you don't need to-" But Konata was already walking across the room into the kitchen. Having set down the freshly baked cookies, Cyrus was sliding oven mitts off of his hands while humming softly. He glanced up at Konata's arrival and broadened his smile.

"Mrs. Ueda! A pleasure to see you again," he exclaimed. Konata gave a little wave to her hand.

"You're much too formal, just call me Konata."

"Ah, well thank you, but I couldn't… Seems impolite," Cyrus countered with a sheepishly apologetic expression. Still, Konata positively beamed.

"You are just so sweet. Now… I know I probably came off as ditzy, and I apologize for that. I mean, I suppose I _am_, but I can be sane when I want." She stuck out her hand with an utterly loving smile. Cyrus gently returned it and grasped her hand. Konata's grin faltered ever so slightly as her fingers met Cyrus's. Immediately, her eyes flickered down to his hand. "Those are some… beautiful rings," she commented under her breath. Hearing this made Cyrus's eyes widen and his heart skip a beat. Eyeing Kiseki in the doorway for a moment, he nodded slowing.

"Thanks… They're from your son…" At that, he slipped his hand away from Konata's and proceeded to wrap his arm around Kiseki's shoulders. The darker haired boy made half-hearted jazz hands.

"Surprise…! You've got a new son-in-law…" He leaned into Cyrus's shoulder, feeling strangely confident.

Konata's fingertips flew to her mouth, her eyes that were so similar to Kiseki's widening remarkably. She was smiling, though, behind her hand. "Well. I suppose I saw this coming, seeing as you bought a house together… But when did this happen?"

"We had a private wedding, since we probably could invite no more than 10 people. Don't worry, we've got pictures and everything," Kiseki explained, motioning at the shelf above the sink. Arranged on it were multiple framed photos, all of them of Kiseki in a white tuxedo, Cyrus in a black, holding hands and either staring lovingly into each other's eyes or kissing. A smile that made her appear suddenly a lot older twitched onto Konata's face. "And he took the surname Ueda, he couldn't stand being a Paranade," Kiseki added.

"Congratulations, darling," Konata breathed. She took a few steps toward the couple, and to his surprise, gently pressed her lips atop Cyrus's head. "You don't have to call me Mrs. Ueda _or _Konata, you're welcome to call me Mum. Welcome to the family, Cyrus."

"Thank you, Mrs. Ue-" Cyrus paused. "Thank you, Mum… Now how about I pour some tea?"

The remainder of the visit was remarkably pleasurable. Konata was quite unlike the airhead Cyrus had met at the hospital; it turned out she was just exceptionally overworked that day and trying a little too hard to hide it. She complimented Cyrus with just about every other bite and sip she took, plus kept the boys well intrigued by telling her new son-in-law stories of Kiseki's childhood that Kiseki himself had been too embarrassed or forgetful to recite. It reminded Cyrus of his near childish wish to know everything he could about the boy- man, really, seeing as he'd turned 20- he loved and provided him with a comforting feeling of knowing he now had forever to accomplish this.

What felt like mere minutes later, Konata announced that she must be leaving. She hugged Kiseki and Cyrus, kissed her son on the head, and wished both of them good luck. Then, she Disapparated. Cyrus stretched nonchalantly, grinning blissfully. "Ah, I really like your mum. She's great…" He tilted his head thoughtfully. "We live together, we're married, your mum likes me… Except for if I was home more often, nothing could make our relationship better."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Kiseki agreed with a slow nod. Still, there was an airy sort of uncertainty in his tone. Why, though…? Then it came to him. A completely ludicrous idea formed in his mind, and he would have to be completely mental to suggest it… Then again, he was never exactly right in the head… But he couldn't just get the words out of his mouth. Absently, he stared down the hall in which the bedroom was located; that seemed to be enough for Cyrus to catch on.

"Oh… Kiseki, I-I… Are you thinking what I _think _you're thinking?" Cyrus questioned in a feeble whisper, his aqua eyes getting wide and his face turning red. Kiseki found himself suddenly blushing as well. He jerked his gaze back toward his husband.

"W-what? That depends on what you think I'm thinking…" Kiseki uttered, his voice partially squeaky. Cyrus gulped visibly.

"W-well… I thought, you were thinking, w-we could… Ha-have… You know… I'm sorry, I just can't say it." It was silent for a few seconds, Cyrus's eyes closed tightly. Slowly, though, he reopened them and added barely audibly: "But if you want, I could _do _it…"

The heat emanating from Kiseki's face almost had substance. He nervously began fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. "…I see… Well, i-if you really wanna… It _is _getting dark, and we don't exactly have anything t-to do…" He glanced up to see that Cyrus was now standing close to him, gradually reaching toward his hand.

"Then, let's go…" And so they locked fingers, slipping off down the hall into their bedroom, Koko peeking at them suspiciously as they closed the door behind them.

It started out quite awkwardly. Neither of them had _any _clue what they were doing, and were still in shock that they had agreed to do it. At first, they just sat beside each other, until they silently agreed that they should begin with kissing that led into snogging. "Mm, hey, how far are we… gonna go?" Cyrus questioned, his lips barely touching Kiseki's so that speaking tickled the other boy's mouth.

"E-er, well, nudity is… out… So l-let's just, be shirtless," Kiseki murmured, hastening to kiss Cyrus the moment he stopped talking. Cyrus gave an almost unnoticeable nod and began to remove Kiseki's shirt. The dark haired boy scooted slightly backward, allowing Cyrus to slide his green t-shirt over his head, and then shot his hands forward so as to begin unbuttoning Cyrus's shirt. The very second both of them were unclothed, they pressed their bare chests together and resumed kissing.

After a few minutes, Kiseki became aware that both of them were quickly getting bored. What could he do to spice it up? Their kissing had already increased speed… Leisurely, Kiseki slid his pale hands out of Cyrus's wavy orangish hair and gingerly rested them on his lover's back. Cyrus gave a tiny jolt; he _was _always telling Kiseki how cold his hands were… So Kiseki immediately brought his fingers away.

"Hey, no… That felt good…" Cyrus muttered. The desire in his voice proved his words true. Surprised, Kiseki brought his hands over Cyrus's skin so lightly that his touch was barely there. Still, this was obviously effective: Cyrus was shuddering in pleasure, making very quiet sounds of satisfaction. Kiseki knew his moment of control wouldn't last, so he decided to make the best of it. He gently touched every visible portion of Cyrus's skin- his arms, his chest, his neck, his face, his abdomen… The feeling of coolness it supplied filled Cyrus with sort-of-shameful delight. The couples' lips repeatedly mashed together all the while.

When Cyrus very slowly pressed Kiseki against the bed, the latter acknowledged his brief dominance had ended. Starting at his chin, Cyrus slowly kissed down Kiseki's jaw line until he reached his neck which he began to gently suck on. Kiseki whimpered, but did not object; he instead made do with planting little kissed on his lover's nose and cheeks, tangling his hands in his wavy locks. As Cyrus nipped him, only semi-intentionally, a sharp moan of joy escaped Kiseki's lips. Cyrus chuckled in his throat.

"That felt good, did it?" His warm breath against Kiseki's neck made the dark haired boy quiver.

"U-uh huh… B-but honestly, _breathing _on it felt better…" he confessed. Smiling, Cyrus blew on Kiseki's neck (receiving a shiver in return) and then proceeded to gently bite the ear that didn't have a tiny gold earring in it.

Soon enough, Kiseki found a way to do his part even though he was the one on the bottom. He laid kisses all over his lover's chest; Cyrus delivered multiple kisses to the top of his messy hair. Cyrus gradually slid down so that their bodies were pressed fully against each other's, so Kiseki hugged him tightly as opposed to continuing to kiss his chest. "I love you, Cyrus…" he whispered. Cyrus slid his hands underneath Kiseki so that he could hug him as well.

"And I love you too." They kissed over and over with their legs entwined so that they were as physically close to each other as possible. To keep things exciting, they rapidly adjusted positions, their kisses now all but gentle and moans escaping frequently. "You're getting pretty hard, er, down there," Cyrus commented under his breath, rolling onto his side. Kiseki's face flushed.

"Y-yes, well, I guess, the way we were pressed together, a-and with moving around added onto that…" he responded, panting slightly and sitting upright very slowly. Cyrus propped himself up on his elbow.

"We had our fun… Maybe we should, call it a night," he suggested.

"Yeah, I suppose so…" Kiseki leaned over and gave Cyrus a final kiss on the forehead. "Good night, in that case…"

Cyrus caressed his husband's cheek and kissed his nose. "Good night. I love you so much…" Both of them lay down and wrapped their arms around each other. Kiseki snuggled into Cyrus's chest, causing him to clearly hear the rapid beating of his heart. Had Cyrus really enjoyed it? Or was this a huge mistake? Before Kiseki could verbalize the question, his eyelids drooped and he found himself consumed by sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

As it turned out, Kiseki was wrong to assume their romantic actions had a negative impact on his relationship with Cyrus: it actually improved it, giving a sense of strengthened trust between the couple. Everything was still normal for them afterwards, except that they seemed to sleep a little closer together ever since.

Despite every day being so utterly similar, Kiseki and Cyrus never grew tired of it. It was like looking at one another for the first time each morning they awoke. Their routine never seemed to grow old, no matter how similar it made every day. When Kiseki greeted Cyrus like a puppy separated from its owner every evening, the day suddenly seemed incredibly eventful and worthwhile. One day, though, Cyrus brought up something that, if agreed to, would change their lives forever.

It was a Saturday afternoon about a year-and-a-half after Cyrus and Kiseki got married, and Kiseki's parents were hosting a family get-together. Their three story house in Japan was always great for parties, and the size was quite necessary to fit their numerous family members. For this particular occasion, the guests were only Konata and Shiro's children and grandkids (normally, their nieces and nephews plus Shiro's siblings would be invited as well, but they decided to save those invitations for another time).

Radha and Austin had always been so proud that Sai did everything before what was expected for his age- walking, saying his first words, smiling- yet they weren't pleased to learn that that included his terrible two's. The "terror" was starting off mildly: at the time, he just refused to be held by anyone besides his parents and, even though he could walk just fine, would scream if he wasn't carried constantly.

He was still the youngest at the party, so naturally everyone was dying to hold and coo over him. However, Sai would have none of that: when usually he would be eager to be around his grandparents, he would shriek and bellow "NO!" if Konata or Shiro picked him up. The same occurred with anyone else who reached for him. If someone miraculously got him into their arms, he would press his minuscule hands against their chest and push himself as far away from them as possible, chanting: "NO. DOWN. MUMMY! DADDY! DOWN!"

"Here I thought you'd be a little angel, and you're turning into a brat," Radha sighed after retrieving Sai for the fourth time. Her tone, though, showed that she was more amused than irritated, and she kissed her son on the nose after speaking.

"Radha, love, we've got to go help my mum and dad get out the food," Austin indicated, walking up behind his wife. "You'll probably have to put the beast child down."

"I don't mean to sound snippy, but shouldn't someone else do it? I mean, the little guy'll have a panic attack if we don't hold him,_" _Radha reasoned, absently bouncing Sai in her arms.

"Hm, this is true." Austin kneeled down slightly, bringing his face level with his son's. "Alright smallish one, let's talk. Is there _anyone _besides Mummy and Daddy that you'll let hold you?" Sai was silent for a moment, his little eyebrows furrowed, until he responded something that sounded like "kissy." He repeated it a few times, not helping to clear up his meaning. "Wait a tick… You're saying _Kiseki, _aren't you?" Austin inferred. Sai nodded sharply. Grinning, Austin scooped him into his arms and strode over to his younger brother.

"Hey, Kiseki! Would you like to hold your nephew? Of course you would." Before Kiseki could register his brother's words, Sai was being handed over to him.

"Hey, whoa, wait! He's gonna freak!" Kiseki protested, caught way off guard yet managing to shift Sai into a comfortable position. Austin laughed shortly.

"Yeah, he looks _so _distressed." Kiseki stared down at the child in his arms with utmost surprise: instead of pushing himself away, Sai was smiling up at his uncle, teal eyes sparkling. Austin ruffled his brother's hair, poked his son on the nose (which resulted in a giggle from the child), and strode into a different room.

"Looks like you've got a fan," remarked Cyrus, who had noticed Sai's resistance as well.

"Yeah, guess so…" Kiseki couldn't help but smile as Sai took notice of the round piece of gold in his ear and started reaching at it. "You're pretty cute, aren't you?" he murmured.

Cyrus opened his mouth to comment, but was interrupted by a chorus of "UNCLE KISEKI!" The Malfoy twins bolted into the room, followed by Jasper. Cyrus immediately burst into laughter: it really was quite a sight, Kiseki standing there looking winded with Sai in his arms, Jasper hugging his left leg, plus Lucia and Lucina clinging to his right.

"Oh! Hey there, kiddos… Wow, you're getting so big!" Kiseki breathed while attempting to balance himself. The young ones clambered over their uncle for a few minutes, eventually taking notice of Cyrus and staring at him as if he was a celebrity when Kiseki told them he was their new uncle. At one point, Lucia asked a question that caught the couple quite off guard.

"So like, is you gonna get me a baby cousin? Like Uncle Waito an' Aunt Pwesilla, and Uncle Aussie an' Aunt Wadha?" she inquired innocently. With those big blue eyes of hers, Kiseki literally had to gulp to refrain from going "Awww." He cleared his throat, shifting Sai to another arm.

"A-ah, no, sweetheart… Two uncles can't, um…"

"Call the stork?" Lucina offered.

"That's right! O-only an uncle and an _aunt _can call the stork," Kiseki confirmed. Cyrus nodded his agreement, but he was hardly thinking about answering the twins' question. Hearing Kiseki say "no" made it feel like something fell inside of him, as if he was a little kid denied a request to go to an ice cream parlor. But why would that be? It's not like he was planning on getting Kiseki _pregnant _or anything. There was no science or magic that would allow that to be possible. Yet, that didn't mean they couldn't be parents… He managed to shake those thoughts away, though; there was a time and place for everything.

"So this is where you kids got to," came the voice of Raye. She emerged from a nearby staircase, her arms crossed but a grin on her face. With a squeak, Lucia bolted over to her mother, Lucina following casually behind. "Your baby sibling better be better at staying in place," Raye scolded with an obvious edge of affection, running her fingers through her daughters' blonde hair. Kiseki choked on air and almost dropped Sai as the girls giggled and gingerly placed their tiny palms on their mother's stomach.

"_Raye! _You're… you're…!"

"Pregnant, I believe is the word you're looking for," Raye chuckled. She smiled warmly with a slight tilt to her head. "Yeah, Scorpius and I thought it was about time we added onto our numbers."

"If you have another set of twins, you're going to be screwed," Kiseki uttered. Raye, though, found this humorous and laughed pleasantly. She patted Lucia and Lucina's heads.

"Oh, you should hear these two ramble on about it. Cina's dead set on getting a baby brother, but Lucia is hoping I have _triplets."_

Kiseki attempted to formulate a response, but his mind seemed to stop processing. So, Cyrus chuckled and answered for him. "Well congratulations."

"Thanks, Cyrus." Raye gave both men cheerful hugs, grabbed hold of the twins' hands, motioned for Jasper to follow her, and disappeared.

"Merlin's pants… Raye is having another baby…" Kiseki whispered, staring blankly at an opposing wall.

"Aw, come on. I think Raye's a brilliant mum," Cyrus responded beamishly.

"Oh, I agree with you. It's those twins of hers I'm worried about…" Kiseki shook his head. "With big sisters like that, the poor baby won't stand a chance." After both of them laughed quietly, it was awkwardly silent between the couple, which was a very uncommon occurrence. "Y'know… I can't help but wonder why kids like me so much," Kiseki commented, glancing down at the now sleeping Sai.

"I guess they all just know that you're such a softy. On those standards, you're a little kid yourself," Cyrus teased, softly kissing his husband on the lips. Kiskeki grinned; unfortunately, however, the silence soon returned.

"I uh… I'm gonna go return Sai to his parents," Kiseki indicated. Cyrus nodded, and followed him out the door.

The remainder of the event was quite fun. Kiseki couldn't sit down without a child crawling onto his lap, so Raito exclaimed, "You have like, a magnetic aura that draws kids to you or something… Just like how I'm a _chick _magnet!" Presilla smacked him; everyone laughed. Everybody just ate and caught up (Konata almost died from joy when Scorpius announced that Raye was pregnant) until they deemed it time to go home. Kiseki and Cyrus were among the last to leave, since the kids seemed to think that hugging them constantly was a necessity. Finally, though, they exchanged good-bye hugs and headed home by side-along Disapparation.

"You're family is great_. _They're so," Cyrus laughed, "_interesting."_

Kiseki smiled at him, taking a seat on the couch. Koko jumped up on his lap with a soft "meow," so he started scratching her behind the ears. He turned his pleasant gaze to his husband as he sat beside him. "Are you forgetting that your name is Cyrus _Ueda_? They're _your _family too." The words made Cyrus feel suddenly cherished, even though he was fully aware of their truth and had been for more than a year.

The slight smile that had appeared on his face quickly faltered as he was reminded of his thoughts from earlier. He then realized that the idea had been waiting patiently in the back of his mind for a while, but now it was time to let it be known… He took a deep breath, and expressed his contemplation: "Kiseki, I think we should adopt a child."

For a few tense seconds, Kiseki just stared at him with a frozen expression as if waiting for him to shout "April Fool's!" The moment never came, so Kiseki gulped silently and the partial smile vanished from his face. "Cyrus… I-I'm sorry, but… No… If I so much as skip taking pills for a few mornings, I'll end up in a mental hospital. I'm nearly afraid of my own shadow. I like kids, yes, but I just don't trust myself around them… Do you really want someone like me to be a parent?"

Cyrus probably never appeared more serious in his life. "Yes, I do. Plus, you're so _good _with children!"

"So? If someone's a super talented swimmer, that doesn't necessarily mean they'll accept swimming through a pool of piranhas, does it?" Kiseki got to his feet, causing Koko to slide off of his lap with a hiss. "Cyrus, I'm sorry… It's a shame, really, since _you'd _make such a good dad… B-but I just can't." As Kiseki slunk off to the bedroom, Cyrus felt his hopes begin to shatter completely, until he heard Kiseki whisper: "Not just yet."


	15. Chapter 15

Time went by, and before the couple knew it months had passed. Cyrus did not abandon his attempt to convince Kiseki to start a family with him, even if he only brought up the question about every 4 months. The first time he asked it since the day of the party, Kiseki was prepared with an excuse: "Raye just lost _her _baby… I feel like if we got one, even if not biologically, she'd think we're, like, mocking her." It had been a month since Raye had a miscarriage, but she and a majority of her family were very slow to recover from it. After Kiseki retorted with that, Cyrus was more hesitant to bring up his request, even if he didn't give up on it.

On the up side, Cyrus had received multiple promotions as time progressed, to the point that he would make plenty of money just by working part time. That being said, he ended up working only 3 days a week, giving his married relationship a sort of jumpstart. It took a long, _long _time- Kiseki was about 26 and Cyrus was around 25 when it happened- but Kiseki finally gave Cyrus an unexpected yet anticipated answer.

The two men were returning home from the movie theater, walking in the house arguing playfully (Kiseki claimed the movie was a romantic comedy, but Cyrus insisted on calling it a "chick flick"). "I still can't believe you _cried _when she left him," Cyrus teased as he tossed his jacket atop his dresser.

"Shut up. And I thought you found my lack of manliness cute!" Kiseki snapped, ripping off his shirt so he could change into pajamas. His thin eyebrows were furrowed angrily, yet there was a bright smile on his face.

"Oh, I find it bloody adorable," Cyrus assured him, changing into PJs as well. They glared at each other for a few seconds, until they burst into laughter. They eventually managed to control themselves enough to change into their nightclothes, and then collapsed back-to-back on the bed.

"We are such children," Kiseki breathed, clutching his side so as to lessen his laughter.

"That's the better way to get through life, isn't it?" Cyrus reasoned, barely able to halt his giggling long enough to speak. They finally overcame their laughter, and the two of them just sat there sighing happily until they crawled under the covers. Kiseki flicked his wand to turn off the lights; the couple kissed good-night, and settled themselves beneath the blanket.

It was peacefully silent for a few seconds as the men let their minds lull off to sleep. Suddenly, though, Kiseki rolled into the same position as Cyrus (on his side) and draped his arms around his lover. "Alright, I'll do it."

Cyrus's eyes fluttered open. A smile played on his lips. "Oh, good. Very specific." Kiseki smacked him very gently, planting a kiss on his ear.

"Right, sorry. Dunno how you could be on the same train of thought as me, considering the last time you brought this up was a few weeks ago…" Kiseki lowered his voice to almost below a whisper. "I'll adopt a child with you."

There was a moment of silent shock as Cyrus digested these words, wondering if he had fallen asleep and this is a dream. He intended to respond with a heartfelt thank you, but instead said: "W-when do you wanna?"

Kiseki shrugged. "Whenever you want… Tomorrow, even." His eyes widened slightly as he received a passionate kiss on the lips.

"Then I know what we're doing tomorrow."

The next morning, the couple made themselves presentable and headed down to an orphanage known to be owned by a witch. Kiseki and Cyrus decided to adopt no older than a toddler, fully aware of the challenge but wanting the child to spend almost its entire life with them as its parents.

"Welcome to the Sunny Hearts Orphanage. How may I help you?" exclaimed a middle-aged woman with a smile as pleasant as the name of the orphanage.

"Good morning, we're looking to adopt a child together," Cyrus replied immediately, obviously much better with his words than Kiseki. The woman's eyes briefly drifted down to the matching rings on their hands.

"Not very timid about your homosexuality, are you?" To their mild surprise, her smile and eyes brightened. "I admire people like you, and I find relationships like yours very sweet. Now, what age group are you looking for, and do you care whether or not the child has magic ability?"

This time, Kiseki answered. "We were thinking no older than a toddler… And the magic ability doesn't matter, Cyrus here is a Squib." The woman- her nametag indicated that her name was Linda- nodded and made a partial wave with her hand.

"Very well, follow me, dears." She led the couple down a long hallway, the white tile flooring spotless and the multiple labeled doorways all a different color. Linda came to a halt outside of the final one, twisting the doorknob and stepping inside, motioning for Cyrus and Kiseki to follow.

The room was bigger than expected, though not exactly large. Nurses sat in rocking chairs at the back of the room giving bottles to infants; babies lay sleeping serenely in cradles; older kids stood in their cribs, gripping the bars and staring around with innocent curiosity; others gathered around a box overflowing with toys, playing with things like dolls, rockets, and miniature broomsticks.

"All the little angels in here are ages 3 and under," Linda explained, the affection in her tone making it seem like all of the kids were her own. The couple nodded, slightly dazed, and gradually began looking around the room. They looked into every single crib and cradle, murmuring friendlily; some of the children responded, while most just smiled up at them or stared blankly. Kiseki laughed as a boy about 3 years old started rambling on with an introduction about his name and such.

"Cyrus, this boy is the cutest-"

But Cyrus was preoccupied. He was peering into a cradle, immediate interest flickering in his aqua colored eyes. "Kiseki… come over here," he instructed softly. Kiseki did as he was told, and allowed a small gasp to escape his lips. The baby in the crib was tiny- surely she had just been born a couple days ago. Perfectly blonde eyebrows were etched above her closed eyes, her minuscule hand clenching and unclenching occasionally. She was wearing a frilly pink jumper a bit too large for her, and half of her body was concealed by a lavender blanket. For some reason, Kiseki had the urge to pick her up, snuggle her against him, and claim her as his. He didn't understand why, though, since so many of the other infants in the room were equally as adorable as her, yet he felt almost nothing upon seeing them… The expression on Cyrus's face made it clear that he was feeling the same exact way as his husband.

"Ah, what a story this poor sweetheart has…" Linda sighed. Kiseki and Cyrus both jumped, because for just a moment they thought it was just them and this one baby alone in the room. "Care to hear it?" Linda questioned. The couple nodded, glancing at her. "She's only been here for 3 days, you see. I caught her mother dropping her off on the front steps in a basket, so I gave her a Truth Serum to learn everything I could about this baby she was leaving here.

"As it turns out, the baby's mother was only 15. She's a Muggle-Born who got expelled from Hogwarts just last year. Upon her return home, she, er, _hooked up _with a Muggle boy whom she'd known for less than a week. She never spoke to him after that, but found herself expecting his child. She ran away from home shortly after her expulsion from Hogwarts, and was living with a friend who was as disapproving of this unexpected pregnancy as she was. Her baby was born 4 weeks early; she was released from the hospital 3 days after her daughter was born and, without bothering to give her a name, hastened to leave her somewhere that she'd never have to worry about her again."

Cyrus and Kiseki just stared in repulsed disbelief for a few seconds until Cyrus glanced over at his husband (it had taken a couple years, but they were finally the same height). "This sounds really dumb, but… I just feel a… _connection _with her," he muttered.

"Oh, no, I-I do too…" Kiseki assured him. Cyrus smiled for a fraction of a second.

"Well, then… I think we should adopt her_." _Kiseki's eyes widened. He expected this- _wanted _it, even- yet…

"I-I dunno, hun… I mean, a baby is so much more responsibility… We don't even know how to change a diaper, or how much of what kind of food to give her, and we haven't got _any _supplies…" He blushed slightly as Cyrus gingerly grabbed hold of his hands.

"But we can learn these things! We could buy everything we need today- it's barely even noon yet- including one of those parenting handbooks… Plus it isn't like it's just the two of us; your parents and siblings and everyone could help out…"

Kiseki bit his lip, staring down at the baby. Her eyes blinked open, revealing them to be hazel in color. There _was _an unexplainable connection felt, there was no denying that… He sighed under his breath. "Okay…" A small smile appeared on his face, and he nodded partially. "Okay, we can adopt her."

The faces of both Linda and Cyrus lit up. "Brilliant!" Cyrus was so overwhelmed with abrupt joy that he laughed for a second or two, trying very hard not to leap forward and give his husband a kiss.

Linda clasped her hands together, not caring that her glasses slid too far down her nose. "Alright! You'll just have to fill out a few papers, and she's yours! Now, since you've got all that shopping to do, I'll assume you'll have to come get her some other day?" The couple nodded.

"Tomorrow will probably work," Kiseki indicated. With that, Linda led them out of the room and into an office where they would fill out all the forms necessary for adoption.

She had quite exaggerated when she said there were just "a few papers." The stack of paperwork- background checks, employment records, questions about their home, and more- took them nearly an hour to dig through. Once they reached the bottom at long last, Kiseki came across a piece of paper he recognized as a birth certificate. He caught Linda's eye, and she smiled gently at him.

"That baby's mother did do _one _thing right… She left that in the basket she dropped on the porch along with her daughter. Though, the line for the baby's name is blank…"

Kiseki and Cyrus turned to each other simultaneously. "I think you deserve to name her," said Cyrus. Kiseki stared up at the ceiling with lightly closed eyes, picturing the infant's features. He gradually brought his gaze back down at allowed his eyelids to flutter open.

"For some reason, she just strikes me as a… _Daisy." _Cyrus tapped the pen he was writing with against his cheek, tossing the thought around in his head.

"Hm… Daisy... Daisy Ueda…" He nodded certainly. "It works. Are we going to give her a middle name?"

"I s'pose not…" And so, _Daisy Ueda _was written neatly on the birth certificate, Linda lifted the stack of papers, and the couple was free to go.

After stopping home to grab lunch and money they'd been saving up, the two of them headed out to do shopping. They purchased just enough to get them started: a crib; a few stuffed animals; bottles; milk and baby formula; some cutesy outfits that were small enough to fit Daisy better than her current one; a stroller with a detachable carrier doubling as a car seat (Cyrus had gotten his Muggle driver's license shortly after the wedding); a fuzzy pink blanket, and a beginner's guide to parenting. They situated everything in their home, threw dinner together, and fell asleep before they even changed into pajamas.

"Well? D'you think we're criminals or anything?" Cyrus inquired the next morning, shamelessly holding Kiseki's hand in his. From the way Linda beamed at them, though, he knew the answer to his question already.

"You've actually had one of the cleanest records we've seen in a while, and all the quick investigations we did showed you to have been 100% honest! The only shaky thing was Kiseki's little mental disorder, but it seems you've got that under control…" She motioned at the carrier clenched in Kiseki's free hand. "Just bring that in here, put little Daisy inside, and bam! You're parents!" The simple two words made Kiseki's heart beat oddly. A parent… In mere moments, he'd be a _parent… _

He snapped back into reality when he acknowledged that they were back in the room for the youngest children. The talkative boy from the prior day was currently sleeping (or at least pretending to be). Daisy, on the other hand, was awake, not old enough to sit up but instead staring up at the ceiling from lying down. Kiseki approached her slowly, murmuring comforting words, as if she was an injured animal. Setting the carrier on the ground, Kiseki leisurely picked up the infant; How _right _it felt, the tiny girl nestled in his arms… Cyrus immediately caressed her soft cheek with his index finger.

"She's so precious," the orange-haired boy breathed. Kiseki gradually nodded his agreement. He thought for a brief moment that he glimpsed a dash of affection flash across the baby's hazel eyes, but quickly decided she was too young to show any specific emotion. Still, it was reassuring to think she already liked him. "Can you believe it? This little angel is _our _baby…" Cyrus whispered after repeatedly murmuring pointless but loving things to Daisy.

"Mm-mm, I can't…" However, he recalled the day he first met Cyrus; the events that led up to their confession and first kiss; their life as a married couple; the numerous times Cyrus asked if he wanted to adopt a child with him… And staring at the petite bundle now resting in the carrier, he _could _believe it.


	16. Chapter 16

"I'm home!" called the voice of Cyrus. A week had passed since Daisy was taken home, and her personality was already beginning to surface. She was curious about everything, quiet unless she wanted something, and very clingy. Kiseki suggested Cyrus take a few days off from work, but the latter decided he would instead call it a day earlier for a while.

"Why hello Home, I'm Kiseki," his husband grinned, sitting cross-legged on the couch with Daisy gradually examining the TV remote in his lap. Cyrus laughed and ruffled his dark hair, followed by tickling Daisy under the chin. Kiseki tilted his head slightly. "Hey, what d'you have there?" he asked, motioning at a covered silver tin in Cyrus's hand.

"This? Well, you know how the boss has been putting me to work with a whole bunch of new recipes? He didn't quite like how this batch of cookies," he raised the hand carrying the container, "but I found them to be just great, so he let me take them home."

"Hm, that's good then. Especially since we're having company today," Kiseki responded with a nod. Cyrus stared at him blankly for just a few seconds, until he widened his eyes and pressed the heel of his palm against his forehead.

"Blimey, I forgot your mum and dad are stopping by today!" he exclaimed.

"Not a problem, I'm sure you had a long day." Kiseki stood up and held out Daisy just a bit. "Let's switch, I'll put those," he nodded at the tin of cookies, "in the kitchen."

"Good plan." Cyrus swapped the cookies for Daisy, murmuring lovingly to the infant as he slowly sat himself on an armchair in the corner. Kiseki proceeded to the kitchen, set down the cookies, and took off the lid. It wasn't too warm inside, so he knew they weren't freshly baked, though when he plucked one off the top he could feel that they weren't cold yet. He bit off the corner and smiled as the taste of sugar and dough flooded over his tongue. It was understandable that Cyrus's boss would turn them down- they were a tad flaky- but they were perfectly fine in Kiseki's book.

Once the entire cookie was fully consumed, Kiseki paused reaching for a second one at the sound of knocking on the door. He hastily dropped the new cookie back into the tin, gulped down some milk out of a carton on the counter, and dashed into the living room before Cyrus got to his feet. He mouthed "Act like nobody's here" and strode over to the entrance. He silently inhaled deeply then opened the door. His parents were standing there with casual smiles on their faces.

"Fancy seeing you here," Shiro remarked, opening his arms to hug his youngest son. As Kiseki wrapped his own arms around his father, Konata kissed the back of his head.

"Thanks so much for having us, love," the woman murmured. Kiseki shrugged, giving his mother a quick hug.

"It's my pleasure."

"Speaking of your pleasure, where's Cyrus?" Konata inquired. "I'd like to see the dear. I hear you two have a surprise for us…" Kiseki wondered briefly how his parents hadn't seen him on their way in, but quickly realized that the chair he sat in was away from the window plus the box-like doorway provided them with only the view of walls to the right and left of them. Kiseki stepped back and softened his smile.

"Why yes, yes we do. Come in, please." Slipping out of their shoes, Mr. and Mrs. Ueda stepped all the way inside. They caught sight of Cyrus in unison; their eyes bulged, and Konata covered her mouth with both hands.

"Oh _Kiseki..."_ she gasped behind her fingers._ "_Is that little girl-?"

"Your new granddaughter? Indeed she is," Kiseki interrupted pleasantly, glancing at Cyrus as he walked over to his husband and parent-in-laws.

"My lord, she's beautiful… She's so tiny, too. How old is she?" Shiro questioned.

"About 2 weeks," Cyrus answered. He furrowed his eyebrows sadly, shifting the position in which he held Daisy. "The poor angel's mum abandoned her without even giving her a name… The woman was only 15!"

"We're grateful for her mistake, though, since she provided us with our new daughter," Kiseki added quickly, fully aware that his own parents were a mere 17 while still in school when Raito and Raye were born.

"Cyrus, you said her mother didn't name her. I assume you don't just refer to her as Daughter?" Konata reasoned. Cyrus chuckled shortly.

"Of course not. We've named her Daisy."

"Daisy… Oh, plain, but absolutely _gorgeous… _I love it. May I hold her?" Konata whispered in a tone slightly higher than her regular one.

"Why yes, you may." With that, Cyrus gingerly handed the infant to his mother-in-law. The blonde baby stared up at her grandmother obliviously. Interest flickered on her face, though, when Shiro put his arm around his wife's shoulders and tickled Daisy's chin.

"Goodness you two, she's just adorable! I bet she'll be best of friends with Claire… Kathy came home from the hospital yesterday, you know," Konata commented. You see, Claire Potter had been born three days ago. She was the third daughter of Kathy and James: the couple had an older daughter, Marie, and their middle child was a son named Edwin.

Kiseki grinned. "Did she now? I'm glad she's doing alright." His gaze dropped from his parents to his daughter. "Are you gonna be friends with your cousin, sweetheart?" he cooed. Shiro sighed happily.

"I can't believe our little miracle is all grown up…" Kiseki's smile softened a great deal as he recalled being told throughout his childhood that his name was Japanese for "miracle," which was exactly what his life was: the doctors were sure he'd die at birth. How magnificent his parents must find it, seeing their mental runt of a son find love and become a father… "Do you think you'll be able to handle raising a child?"

It was funny, really, that Shiro voiced the exact thought that had been chewing at the back of Kiseki's conscience for quite a while now. "If I was by myself, I'd be screwed, but I've got about a billion family members with experience in this type of stuff… Plus…" He leaned into Cyrus, shamelessly placing a kiss on his short shaved cheek. "I've got the best man in the world to help me out."

"You're so cheesy, darling," Cyrus crooned. He caressed his husband's cheek; Konata giggled as if she was a teenage fan girl, not a woman about 50 years old.

"You two are so sweet… Here, take Daisy, I just have to get a picture." She handed the baby over to her son, ignoring the fact that Shiro was rolling his eyes at her. Konata removed a digital camera from her purse while Kiseki and Cyrus positioned themselves on the loveseat. Once they were comfortable, Konata pressed the button atop the camera. _Click. _

Kiseki swept to his feet and looked over his mother's shoulder at the image that appeared on the camera's back. It displayed two men of about the same height sitting close together, one of them with messy hair so dark brown that it was almost black, and emerald green eyes belying a traumatizing childhood; the other with wavy, yellow-orange hair matching the shadow-like facial hair on his face, and joyful aqua blue eyes hiding a rough past. The brown haired man had his arm around the other's shoulders, whose arm was linked around the opposing man's waist. Their free hands were joined with laced fingers, where they held a hazel-eyed blonde baby wearing a flowery pink jumper in place, half of her little body on both men's laps.

Most people would see this picture and either laugh because they found it so ridiculous, wonder how much the men were getting paid to be in such a photo, feel sympathy for the baby, or pray that the two men were simply relatives or close friends. Kiseki, however… He thought the picture was absolutely perfect.

A 39-year-old Kiseki Ueda sat on his back porch, munching on a scone that had been homemade by his husband. He peacefully watched a thin girl with her mouth opened in laughter, eyes closed joyously, as she competed to swing higher than her black-haired cousin named Claire. Her own hair was an almost yellow blonde, and reached down to her waist; it, along with her salmon colored skirt, whipped freely around her as she played on the swing set, not caring at all that this was not normal behavior for 13-year-old girls.

Claire jumped off from a remarkable height, landing on hands and knees then grinning in triumph when she pushed herself upright. Hazel eyes widening slightly, Daisy Ueda hastened to repeat her cousin's actions. Kiseki shot to his feet in horror when the blonde girl fell to the ground quite painfully. However, his shoulders slackened in relief when he noticed that although she was quivering and a tear rolled down her cheek, Daisy was laughing genuinely.

"Those girls are ridiculous, aren't they?" whispered the voice of Cyrus, making Kiseki jump just a bit when he felt a hand place gingerly on his shoulder.

"But ever so lovable," Kiseki agreed. Over the years, the couple had nearly resorted to divorce. Not because their love was dying, though: it was only because Daisy was being taunted brutally at her Muggle school. It started back in kindergarten, when her playmates were going home and innocently telling their parents "Daisy Ueda has _two daddys,_" unfortunately resulting in Daisy losing contact with those friends. Yet Daisy refused to let her parents split. She loved her Daddy and her Papa, and they loved each other, so nobody was going to take that away from her. Besides: even if Claire went to Hogwarts while Daisy herself lacked any magic powers, she knew her tomboyish yet supportive cousin was always with her in spirit (and physically, during holidays).

Kiseki's fingers entwined themselves with Cyrus's. How reassuring the warmth provided by Cyrus's gentle squeeze felt… What would have happened if Kiseki hadn't been feeling so down and accepted the task of taking Raye's twin girls out for lunch? What would have happened if Cyrus's parents never kicked him out? What would have happened if Kiseki never built up the nerve to request marriage? What would have happened if he never agreed to adopt a child? Mainly, what would have happened if Drew never broke his heart by marrying some woman? For one thing, he wouldn't be the godfather of Drew's son. For another, he wouldn't be so utterly happy in his current life.

What a great series of changes his life had underwent over the years…. So miracles _can _happen.


End file.
